The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, has launched the inaugural Menopause Awareness Week. The week is centred around World Menopause Day on Tuesday, 18 October 2022.
Since 2019, the Women’s Health Taskforce has listened to over 2,000 women, and organisations representing women, to understand where women wanted to see change and improvements to their experiences of healthcare.
Menopause emerged as an area where women feel a “sense of loneliness and isolation”. For many women the topic of menopause “felt secretive and closed”, with a lack of communication “contributing to taboo or stigma” surrounding this life event.
Their feedback informed the Women’s Health Action Plan 2022-2023, specifically:
- Action 4B: Changing the approach to menopause care to increase the public supports available to women before, during and after menopause
- Action 5B: Looking creatively at how women and girls can access better information on women’s health at different ages and stages of life.
Menopause Awareness Week aims to inform, educate and ‘lift the taboo’ around menopause. It is supported by a national ad campaign and the launch of gov.ie/menopause - providing reliable and trusted information around symptoms, treatment and advice on how you can support those in menopause.
Today, Monday, Minister Donnelly will take part in a Menopause Café in the Department of Health to encourage open dialogue and support around menopause in the workplace.
On Tuesday, following the successful opening of the first menopause clinic at the National Maternity Hospital in December 2021, and two further clinics in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary and the Coombe Hospital this year, the Minister will open the Rotunda menopause clinic, dedicated to supporting women experiencing complex symptoms of menopause. Two further clinics, in Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway, are planned to open by end of 2022.
The Department of Health’s Menopause Awareness campaign will continue to reach the Irish public via radio, posters, newspapers, magazines, and online. It aims to increase the visibility of menopause and break down barriers to talking about menopause for women and everyone.
Launching Menopause Awareness Week, Minister Donnelly said: “I am determined to change the approach we as a society take to menopause care by continuing to support services available to women before, during and after menopause. Research has shown that women want more information when it comes to menopause. This awareness week, associated campaign and dedicated website is a direct response to what women have asked of their Health Service. Approximately 50% of our population will experience menopause and the rest will know someone going through it. It is my hope that this information campaign will empower women and inform society on the reality of menopause.”
The Chief Nursing Officer, Rachel Kenna, added: “The experience of menopause is different for every woman – some will not experience any symptoms, the majority will experience moderate to severe symptoms and others may need referral to specialist care provided for in the newly established menopause clinics. As menopause care enters a new phase, we will continue to grow the available supports, services, and expertise for women to feel informed and supported. This includes building awareness about the role nurses can play in delivering menopause care. Education and awareness of menopause will help women adopt a proactive approach in managing their symptoms. It will also guide women through their experience of menopause and support women post-menopause.”
Dr Clíona Murphy, Clinical Director of the National Women and Infants Health Programme, HSE said: “Menopause Awareness Week is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the work that has been done to improve health outcomes for women during menopause in Ireland, while reaffirming the targets set out in the Woman’s Health Action Plan. While we have much work to do to support all women in perimenopause, menopause and after menopause, the work already done in this area is a solid foundation to build on.”
Dr Ciara McCarthy, ICGP/HSE GP Clinical Lead in Women's Health said: “Last week saw the launch of the ICGPs Quick Reference Guide for the Diagnosis and Management of Menopause in General Practice. This milestone document includes information on diagnosis, lifestyle interventions, prescribing of HRT and, importantly, alternative options to HRT as well as specific advice for women with a history of breast cancer. This specific support for GPs coupled with Menopause Awareness Week offers all of us the opportunity to change the narrative around menopause care in a holistic rounded way”.
For more information on menopause, visit gov.ie/menopause