UK Women's Health and Supplements Statistics 2026
This page gathers the most-quoted statistics on UK women's life-stage health and supplements, from the typical age of menopause to the daily amounts the NHS advises across pregnancy and beyond, each drawn from a named primary source and linked to the original record. Where a figure cannot yet be tied to a primary source, it is marked pending rather than published. Last updated June 2026. Every figure below links to its primary source.
51 is the average age a woman in the UK reaches menopause, when periods have stopped for 12 months. Source: NHS, Menopause and perimenopause
Menopause and perimenopause
is the average age a woman in the UK reaches menopause, when periods have stopped for 12 months. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Menopause and perimenopause supplements and the menopause
women in the UK experience menopause before the age of 40, known as premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Menopause and perimenopause perimenopause guide
Pregnancy and preconception
of folic acid a day is what the NHS advises women to take before conception and until 12 weeks of pregnancy. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy best prenatal vitamins UK
of vitamin D a day is what the NHS advises all pregnant and breastfeeding women to take. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy trying to conceive guide
Nutrition and supplement guidance
of vitamin D a day (400 IU) is the amount the NHS advises adults consider taking, particularly in autumn and winter. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Vitamin D how much vitamin D you need
of vitamin D a day is the amount the NHS advises adults not to exceed unless a clinician recommends it, because too much over time can be harmful. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Vitamin D vitamin D guide
of iron a day is the amount the NHS gives for women aged 19 to 49; women over 50 need 8.7 mg a day. (current NHS guidance) Source: NHS, Iron iron for women guide
is the number of EFSA-authorised health claims for collagen or ashwagandha, so products promising effects on skin, joints, stress or sleep go beyond what UK rules permit. (EFSA authorised claims register) Source: EFSA, Nutrition and health claims do you need collagen after 40
Methodology and sources
Every statistic on this page is taken from a named primary source and links to the original record so you can verify it. We do not republish figures from secondary blogs. The page is reviewed and the figures refreshed on a regular cadence; the "last updated" date reflects the most recent substantive change, not an automated rebuild.
Cite this page
To reference these figures, please credit Her Vitals and link to this page:
Source: Her Vitals, UK Women's Health and Supplements Statistics 2026, https://hervitals.co.uk/statistics/ (accessed June 2026).
Where these figures come from in our own work
Two of our reference pages sit behind the numbers above: the 34 symptoms of perimenopause, where we grade the widely shared list one symptom at a time against NHS and NICE guidance, and the perimenopause supplements league table, which grades each category on its regulatory evidence and shows the cost per effective dose.
Our published datasets and the methodology behind them are in research, including the supplement price-per-effective-dose index and the 34-symptoms grading, both archived with permanent DOIs under CC BY 4.0.
Live trackers built from official data: HRT prescribing in England (NHSBSA) and the upper safe limit checker (NHS and EFSA). The questions library answers the specific ones women ask, each naming the source it was checked against.
Compiled by Oliver Mackman. Published by Her Vitals.