Imagine sitting in a meeting when, without warning, your face begins to feel hot, your heart starts racing and sweat appears on your forehead. A few minutes later, everything returns to normal. Then it happens again, sometimes several times a day.
For millions of women, these sudden hot flashes are among the most frustrating symptoms of menopause. They can interrupt sleep, make everyday activities uncomfortable and continue for years.
Now, researchers at Cedars-Sinai in the United States are exploring an unusual way to help women manage these symptoms. Instead of visiting a therapist in person, participants put on a virtual reality headset and speak to an artificial intelligence avatar.
The experimental program, called MenoZen, was developed to make psychological therapy more accessible to women experiencing menopause. Early findings were announced on October 20, 2026, and are being presented at the annual meeting of The Menopause Society in San Diego.
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Women receive therapy from an AI avatar named Maia
The program uses a Meta Quest 3S virtual reality headset, similar to those used for gaming and immersive entertainment. But instead of entering a virtual game, participants meet an AI-powered character named Maia, who guides them through exercises designed to help manage menopause symptoms.
These exercises include cognitive behavioral therapy, commonly known as CBT, alongside mindfulness, talk-based techniques and controlled breathing. The aim is to help women manage their reactions to hot flashes and reduce the disruption the symptoms cause in everyday life.
CBT is an established form of psychological therapy that helps people recognize and change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. In menopause care, it can help women cope with the discomfort, anxiety and sleep disturbances associated with sudden changes in body temperature.
For example, someone experiencing a hot flash might become increasingly anxious about sweating in public, which can make the situation feel even more distressing. CBT teaches techniques for responding to those feelings differently, making the experience easier to manage.
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Importantly, this does not mean that the headset changes hormone levels or prevents hot flashes from occurring. The technology is designed to deliver therapeutic support, and researchers are still investigating whether the approach can meaningfully improve symptoms.
The first women to test it experienced frequent hot flashes
The researchers recruited women between the ages of 45 and 60 who were experiencing significant menopause symptoms. Participants reported more than 28 hot flashes each week, meaning they were dealing with an average of at least four episodes a day.
None were currently receiving hormone therapy, allowing researchers to explore the potential of a nonhormonal approach.
The study focused on how women experienced the virtual reality program and whether they were comfortable using it. According to the researchers, the initial feedback suggested considerable interest in receiving personalized menopause support through this type of technology.
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Dr. Karisma Suchak, the study's lead author from the Cedars-Sinai Center for Virtual Medicine and Health System Transformation, described the findings as an early indication that AI-powered virtual reality could make established therapies easier to access.
However, the results should be interpreted carefully. The study was small and focused on participants' experiences rather than directly testing how many hot flashes the headset could prevent.
The announcement also did not provide a specific number of participants or detailed before-and-after measurements of symptom improvement.
Around 80 percent of women experience hot flashes
The potential importance of the technology becomes clearer when considering how common menopause symptoms are.
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According to The Menopause Society, approximately 80 percent of women in midlife experience hot flashes or night sweats. These symptoms, known medically as vasomotor symptoms, can affect sleep, concentration, work and overall quality of life.
Hormone replacement therapy remains the most effective treatment for many women experiencing troublesome hot flashes, but not everyone wants to use it or is medically suited to receiving it.
A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings examined hormone therapy use among American women aged 40 and older between 2007 and 2023. Researchers found that the proportion receiving systemic hormone treatment declined from 4.4 percent to just 1.7 percent during that period.
Those figures do not mean that only 1.7 percent of women experiencing menopause symptoms receive treatment, but they illustrate how relatively uncommon systemic hormone therapy has become in the United States.
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This has increased interest in other treatments, particularly options that do not require medication.
The treatment itself is not new, but the technology is
One of the most important details about MenoZen is that the researchers are not inventing an entirely new form of therapy.
CBT has already been studied extensively for menopause symptoms, and medical organizations recognize it as a useful treatment option.
For example, the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends considering menopause-specific CBT for people experiencing troublesome hot flashes, particularly those who cannot or prefer not to take hormone therapy.
Research indicates that CBT can reduce how distressing symptoms feel and how much they interfere with everyday life. However, its effects on the actual number of hot flashes vary between studies.
The innovation behind MenoZen is therefore how therapy is delivered. Instead of arranging regular appointments with a specialist, women could potentially access guided support through a headset, with an AI avatar delivering the sessions.
This could be particularly useful for those who live far from specialist clinics, struggle to find suitable appointments or face financial barriers to receiving therapy.
Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society and one of the study's authors, highlighted that potential while stressing the need for further research.
"Although larger studies are needed to determine clinical effectiveness, these findings suggest that innovative technologies, such as AI-enhanced virtual reality, may offer a promising way to expand access to cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based interventions for women during the menopause transition," she said.
Virtual reality is already being explored for other conditions
MenoZen is part of a broader effort to explore whether virtual reality can make certain forms of healthcare more accessible.
Researchers have also investigated immersive technology for mental health conditions, including depression. As previously reported by Welltica, some experimental approaches use headsets to deliver therapeutic experiences without relying solely on traditional face-to-face appointments.
The technologies and medical conditions involved are different, so positive findings in one area cannot automatically be applied to another. Nevertheless, the research reflects growing interest in combining digital environments with established forms of therapy.
For menopause care, the key question is whether the convenience of an AI-guided headset can translate into meaningful improvements in everyday life.
Researchers will need to establish whether women experience fewer or less disruptive hot flashes, whether any improvements last and how the technology compares with conventional CBT.
What women struggling with menopause should know
Although the early findings are encouraging, MenoZen remains an experimental program rather than an established treatment for menopause symptoms.
The research has not yet demonstrated that using the headset reduces hot flashes, improves sleep or produces better outcomes than therapy delivered by a trained professional.
Larger clinical trials will be needed before doctors can determine whether the technology offers a reliable alternative or addition to existing treatments.
In the meantime, women experiencing frequent or disruptive hot flashes have several evidence-based options available, including hormone therapy and certain nonhormonal treatments. A healthcare professional can help determine which approach is appropriate based on individual symptoms, medical history and preferences.
The idea behind MenoZen is nevertheless significant. If future studies confirm that AI-powered virtual reality can deliver effective therapy, women may eventually have another way to receive menopause support without needing to attend every session in person.
For now, the headset represents an interesting possibility rather than a proven solution, but one that researchers believe deserves further investigation.
This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.