Speech by Minister Donnelly at Menopause Awareness campaign launch

Welcome to, what I believe, is a landmark moment in women’s healthcare in Ireland.

I said in 2020 that this government would deliver a revolution in women’s healthcare. This is about more than equality; it is about power. For too long, women were denied access to healthcare in relation to their own bodies. For too long, there has been stigma and taboo surrounding aspects of healthcare for women. That time is over.

This year we published Ireland’s first ever Women’s Health Action Plan. We are building a national network of new services. 20 gynaecology clinics. Assessment, diagnostics and treatment that up to now have required multiple visits over many months, if not years, are being done in one visit over just a few hours. 12 of these clinics are already open with the final 8 progressing fast. We’re setting up 6 specialist menopause clinics, most of which are now open. We’re setting up 6 fertility hubs, with 5 now open. We’re expanding services in maternity care, breastfeeding, endometriosis, eating disorders and more.

Today we are taking the mystery out of menopause - a topic that has traditionally been taboo in our society - with the launch of this campaign.

This investment is driven from our nationwide “radical listening” exercise where women across the country shared their views and experiences of the health sector and health services.

Women told us how the lack of information and resources on perimenopause and menopause left them unprepared for the impact their symptoms would have on them, physically and mentally.

In working to address this, we have committed in the Women’s Health Action Plan to putting menopause in the ‘spotlight’. We have committed to improving menopause care, increasing the public supports available to women before, during and after menopause.

Around half a million women in Ireland are currently in the natural menopause age range of 45-55. This figure does not include those who may experience early menopause.

The majority of women who seek medical care during menopause will be supported within the primary care system. In order to support GPs in treating women presenting with symptoms of menopause, the government has funded a Quick Reference Guide on Menopause for GPs and Practice Nurses. The guide was launched last week. It provides GPs with updated, comprehensive knowledge on menopause treatment for their patients.

A proportion of women will experience complex symptoms of menopause requiring specialist treatment. In response to this, 6 specialist menopause clinics were funded this year; 3 are currently open - located in the National Maternity Hospital, the Coombe and Nenagh. I will open the fourth clinic on Tuesday in the Rotunda. Clinics in Galway and Cork are planned to open later this year.

These clinics form a core part of a new approach to menopause care for women in Ireland. They will be supported by enhanced community and primary care supports as well as the publication of targeted and trusted sources of information for women experiencing menopause.

Of course, this is not a campaign for women about a women’s issue, it is much more than that. While we know that over ½ the population will experience menopause, all of us know people going through menopause or who will go through it or who have been through it. Be they a family member, a friend or a colleague.

This campaign and the gov.ie/menopause website will help everyone to open up the conversation around menopause. The website includes accurate information and supports so woman can proactively manage their experience. It will increase awareness of menopause and perimenopause and encourage conversations to eliminate any stigma or taboo that up to now has been associated with this phase of life.

The Women’s Health Fund established by Government will continue to support innovation into next year. We’re turning our focus now to the creation of Women’s Health Hubs. Modelled after the fantastic Regional Health Hub at Nenagh Hospital, these hubs will provide holistic, wrap-around care on a range of women’s health issues. They will pull together under one roof many of the supports we’re putting in place this year, including services for menopause, gynaecology, perinatal care, mental health, endometriosis, breastfeeding and more.

In last year’s budget I prioritised investment in women’s healthcare with new development funding of €17 million. In the budget for this year I increased new development funding to €31 million. In the budget just passed I allocated just under €50 million new development funding. Accounting for the full year costs of measures brought in last year and this year, there will be an additional €120 million spent next year on new services in women’s healthcare.

This is what is making it possible to put these new services in place, to fund contraception, IVF and other services. None of this would have been possible without the incredible work of officials in my department, of the Women’s Health Taskforce, of our brilliant frontline healthcare professionals and the many people in the HSE supporting them. I want to finish by acknowledging their dedication and determination to achieve what we set out to do – start a long-overdue revolution in women’s healthcare in Ireland.

Thank you.