Menopause treatment by telemedicine in Spain: how it works and the rules that govern it

Looking for menopause treatment by telemedicine is now a genuine option in Spain, but it is worth understanding what lies behind a website offering medical consultations. Not everything advertised as healthcare meets the legal requirements, and knowing how to tell the difference protects you. Here we explain how a service of this kind works and, above all, the regulatory framework that governs it in Spain: what a platform may promise, what information it must give you, and why you will never see the name of a prescription-only medicine in its advertising. Honesty, in this field, is not a slogan: it is what the law demands.

How a menopause consultation by telemedicine works

The usual set-up is straightforward: you complete a health questionnaire, a registered doctor reviews your history and your symptoms, and from there a decision is made on whether a fuller assessment is appropriate. Menopause affects every woman differently — hot flushes, disrupted sleep, mood changes, dryness — and no single regimen suits everyone. That is why a reputable service does not start by offering a treatment, but by assessing your case. Telemedicine makes that first assessment possible without travelling, but clinical judgement and ongoing follow-up remain the heart of it all.

What changes compared with a face-to-face appointment is the channel, not the clinical standard. Any decision about treatment — hormonal or otherwise — rests with a doctor after assessing you, not with an automated form. If a website offers you a specific product before knowing your history, that is already a warning sign.

What the law in Spain requires of a website offering menopause consultations

Presenting services and attracting consultations on a health website counts as healthcare advertising, and in Spain that is regulated. The starting point is Royal Decree 1907/1996: all information, advertising or commercial promotion of healthcare services must meet criteria of transparency, accuracy and truthfulness, avoiding any bias that harms health or the legitimate expectation of correct health information (art. 7). In practice, this means a platform cannot promise you results it is unable to support, nor present information in a way that misleads you.

What is more, only authorised healthcare centres, services and establishments may use terms in their advertising that suggest healthcare activity. They must keep that advertising within the scope of their authorisation, obtain prior authorisation for other types of advertising, and display their healthcare authorisation registration number (Comunidad de Madrid, Healthcare advertising monitoring, 2025). That number in the footer of a reputable website is not decoration: it is proof that the centre is authorised for what it offers.

Why you will not see a medicine named in the advertising

Prescription medicines may not be advertised to the general public (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2015, art. 80). That is why a service that follows the rules will talk to you about the category — menopause treatment, hormonal or non-hormonal — but will never advertise an active ingredient to the public. It is not that information is being kept from you: the law reserves that decision for the consultation with your doctor. Advertising medical devices online also requires prior authorisation from the health authority of the autonomous community where the advertising company is registered (Mariscal Abogados, on Royal Legislative Decree 1/2015).

Which practices are prohibited

Medical advertising must be dignified and honest. The 2022 Code of Medical Ethics requires it to be objective, prudent and truthful, so that it does not raise false hopes (art. 88.2), and considers it contrary to medical ethics to charge commissions for recommending tests or treatments or to refer patients for profit (art. 92.2). Breaching the requirements on the advertising and promotion of medical devices constitutes a serious infringement, punishable by a fine according to its severity (Royal Legislative Decree 1/2015, arts. 112 and 114). In short: how trustworthy a platform is has nothing to do with how eye-catching its adverts are, and everything to do with what the law allows it to say.

In summary, and what you can do today

The point to hold on to is this: a reputable menopause telemedicine service is recognised by what it complies with — visible healthcare authorisation, truthful information and respect for the limits on advertising — rather than by what it promises. What does exist in Spain today is menopause treatment with a prior assessment, a prescription where appropriate from a registered doctor, and ongoing follow-up, all remotely and with the safeguards the law requires. At AiON, this is how we work. If you would like to know whether this route fits your case, the first step is to check whether you are eligible.