How to Become a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP): Certification and Renewal Guide

Menopause Medicine, Gynecology CME

For healthcare professionals who care for women during midlife, menopause is an increasingly important area of clinical practice. The Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) credential provides licensed healthcare professionals with a way to demonstrate their knowledge of menopause and midlife women’s health.

The Menopause Society established its competency examination in 2002 to set standards for menopause practice and help patients identify healthcare professionals with demonstrated expertise in this area. Healthcare professionals who pass the examination earn the designation Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP).

Here is what clinicians need to know about earning and maintaining the credential.

What Is a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP)?

A Menopause Society Certified Practitioner is a licensed healthcare professional who has passed The Menopause Society’s competency examination in menopause and midlife women’s health.

The credential is designed to recognize healthcare professionals who have demonstrated expertise in this area of care. MSCPs may use the MSCP designation with their professional credentials and, if they are members of The Menopause Society, may be identified as credentialed practitioners in the Society’s searchable clinician database.

Who Is Eligible to Take the MSCP Examination?

The MSCP examination is open to licensed healthcare professionals.

Candidates must provide a copy of a current professional license when applying for the examination. Eligible professionals may come from a variety of disciplines, making the certification relevant not only to physicians but also to other licensed healthcare professionals involved in women’s midlife healthcare.

Healthcare professionals considering certification should review the current MSCP Candidate Handbook before applying to confirm that they meet all current eligibility and application requirements.

How Do You Become an MSCP?

The basic pathway is straightforward:

1. Confirm eligibility. You must hold a current license to practice in your healthcare profession.
2. Review the current Candidate Handbook. The handbook provides examination policies, procedures, and the content outline.
3. Prepare for the examination. Review menopause and midlife women’s health topics included in the examination content outline.
4. Apply for the MSCP examination. Applications are submitted online and must include the required documentation and examination fee.
5. Take and pass the competency examination.
6. Maintain the credential. MSCP certification must subsequently be maintained through continuing education or reexamination.

When Is the MSCP Examination Offered?

For 2026, the Menopause Society offers the MSCP examination during two one-month testing windows:

June 1–30, 2026
Application deadline: May 1, 2026

October 1–31, 2026
Application deadline: August 31, 2026

Applications are accepted throughout the year, but the completed application and full payment must be submitted at least 30 days before the desired testing window begins.

The examination is available through live remote proctoring. Candidates may also choose in-person testing at a test center for an additional fee.

How Much Does the MSCP Examination Cost?

For 2026, the examination fee is:

$400 for members of The Menopause Society$725 for nonmembers

Because examination fees and procedures can change, candidates should verify current pricing with The Menopause Society before applying.

How Should You Prepare for the MSCP Examination?

The Menopause Society does not publish an official MSCP examination study guide and does not endorse commercial courses marketed specifically as MSCP exam-preparation programs.

Instead, candidates can use the examination content outline to identify areas requiring additional study and draw on reputable, evidence-based resources in menopause and midlife women’s health.

The Society specifically identifies its own professional education resources, including Menopause Practice: A Clinician’s Guide, as resources candidates may find helpful.

Preparation should therefore be viewed less as studying for a single test and more as developing a broad working knowledge of evidence-based menopause and midlife care.

How Long Does MSCP Certification Last?

The MSCP credential expires on December 31 of the third year after the credential is earned. Practitioners should check the expiration date shown on their individual certificate.

Importantly, maintaining the MSCP credential requires continued professional development. Certification is not intended to represent knowledge acquired at one point in a clinician’s career.

How Do You Maintain MSCP Certification?

MSCPs have two pathways for maintaining their credential:

Option 1: Continuing education (See Survival Skills Fall)

or

Option 2: Reexamination

For clinicians choosing the continuing education pathway, The Menopause Society currently requires 45 credit hours of continuing education related to midlife women’s health during the applicable maintenance period.

Of those 45 hours:

• At least 15 credit hours must be awarded by The Menopause Society.
• The remaining qualifying hours may be earned through other accredited educational activities that meet the Society’s requirements.

Practitioners must also continue to meet current eligibility requirements, including maintaining an active professional license.

Renewal applications are accepted between July 1 and December 31 of the year the credential expires.

Why Continuing Education Matters in Menopause Care

Menopause care continues to evolve as new evidence informs approaches to hormone therapy, cardiovascular and bone health, genitourinary symptoms, breast health, sexual health, imaging, risk assessment, and healthy aging.

For clinicians, continuing education serves a purpose beyond satisfying a certification requirement. It provides an opportunity to reassess clinical practices as the evidence changes and to incorporate new recommendations into patient care.

This is particularly important in midlife women’s health, where care frequently crosses traditional specialty boundaries. OB-GYNs, primary care clinicians, radiologists, advanced practice clinicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals may all contribute to the care of patients during the menopause transition and beyond.

For MSCPs pursuing the continuing education pathway to renewal, planning CME strategically throughout the three-year certification cycle can also make maintaining the credential considerably easier than trying to accumulate the required education shortly before expiration.

MSCP Certification at a Glance

• Credential: Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP)
• Who may take the exam? Licensed healthcare professionals
• 2026 exam windows: June and October
• 2026 examination fee: $400 for Society members; $725 for nonmembers
• Certification period: Through December 31 of the third year after the credential is earned
• Maintenance options: Continuing education or reexamination
• Continuing education requirement: 45 hours related to midlife women’s health
• Required Menopause Society education: At least 15 of the 45 hours
• Renewal period: July 1 through December 31 of the credential expiration year

Planning Ahead

Healthcare professionals interested in earning the MSCP credential should begin with the current Candidate Handbook and examination content outline from The Menopause Society.

Those who already hold the MSCP credential should monitor their certification expiration date and maintain records of qualifying continuing education throughout their certification period.

A planned approach to continuing education can do more than simplify recertification. It can help clinicians stay current in a rapidly evolving area of women’s healthcare, and translate emerging evidence into better-informed patient care.

Certification requirements, examination dates, fees, and maintenance requirements are subject to change. Healthcare professionals should confirm current requirements directly with The Menopause Society before applying for or renewing the MSCP credential.