The ban has been issued by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
Neil Shaw Network Content Editor and Robert Rowlands Deputy editor, money and lifestyle, content hub
12:31, 25 Mar 2026
Supplements are taken by many people(Image: Getty)
Five advertisements for supplements claiming to address menopause symptoms, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and other women’s hormonal conditions have been banned. Promotions for the food supplement brands 222 Balance Me, Lunera, Minerva and Nova Menopause Vitality all asserted that their products could prevent, treat or cure menopause symptoms, said officials.
An advertisement and website for PolyBiotics implied their food supplements could prevent, cure or treat PCOS, officials said. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it scrutinises advertisements particularly carefully when they could take advantage of people’s health anxieties, emotional vulnerabilities, or financial difficulties.
The latest rulings came after an AI-powered examination of health claims in online advertisements by the watchdog, which it said had uncovered emerging and continuing problems around misleading assertions. The ASA said “many” of the claims in the advertisements were “unacceptable” and had not only breached numerous authority rules but risked misleading vulnerable individuals, or directing those requiring it away from proper medical guidance.
222 Collective informed the ASA it was a new, founder-led small business and still familiarising itself with advertising regulation requirements. The company acknowledged that language in the advertisements may have “inadvertently implied that the product could treat or relieve symptoms such as PMS, menopause-related symptoms, anxiety, bloating, heavy bleeding, or mood disorders”. They have since been collaborating with Trading Standards to ensure they refrain from making explicit or implied claims about disease or symptom treatment. Lunera acknowledged that its assertions could be interpreted by consumers as attributing medicinal properties to a food supplement, which should not have been the case.
PolyBiotics conceded to the ASA that references to PCOS, ovulation, fertility, cycle regulation, insulin resistance and related symptoms constituted claims of disease treatment or symptom management, which are not allowed for food supplements, reports Devon Live.
Minerva and Nova did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries. Catherine Drewett, ASA investigations manager, said: “When it comes to women’s health, people deserve clear and accurate information. Ads making misleading claims about treating symptoms of the menopause, PCOS and other hormonal conditions can cause real harm and today’s rulings hold advertisers to account.
“We’ll continue to monitor this sector closely and we encourage anyone with concerns about an ad they’ve seen to get in touch.”
