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TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has given his full support for a national awareness campaign on menopause.
Fianna Fáil TD Niamh Smyth brought a motion before the parliamentary party meeting last night calling for a campaign to support women with menopause.
The motion was supported TD Catherine Ardagh, and senators Lisa Chambers and Lorraine Clifford Lee.
Ardagh said there are 30,000 women waiting on public gynecologist waiting lists, and this has to change.
Speaking at last night’s meeting the Taoiseach said Joe Duffy on RTÉ’s Liveline over the last week has been an example of the best public service broadcasting.
“We will act on driving on a progressive health policy for women’s health,” he said.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he 100% supported the motion, stating that the Liveline programme, which allowed women to tell their own stories of menopause, was “incredibly important”.
Having initially dedicated a portion of one show last week to the topic, due to the overwhelming response from callers, Liveline discussed menopause stories on every episode since then.
Women's health specialist Dr. @deirdre_lundy debunks some of the most common myths about HRT. ⬇️
— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) May 12, 2021
Dr. Lundy joined @joeliveline in studio today to answer your questions on the menopause. ❤️
If you missed the show, listen back here: https://t.co/PKU0N9U4MH#Liveline @rteliveline pic.twitter.com/fZ4L6yrLSL
Speaking in the Seanad this week Green Party senator Pauline O’Reilly said 50% of the country are impacted by menopause and it is time we had a proper conversation about it.
O’Reilly urged other public representatives to speak out more about it.
She said women are telling their stories, saying they do not understand fully what is happening to them for many years and that their Gps are not fully educated around hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
“A high proportion – up to 10% – of women who are suffering symptoms actually leave work as a result of the menopause. When they go to the doctor, this is not really recognised. They may need a sick certificate for a certain period. Do their employers recognise the impact this is having on them?
“The impacts range across mental and physical health and can be really debilitating,” she said.
Menopause is moving from @joeliveline to the Seanad. Women have been bravely speaking up on the radio due to frustration at the lack of knowledge and support for the #Menopause This must be solved. pic.twitter.com/OwnXC6ocAT
— Senator Pauline O'Reilly (@paulinegalway) May 11, 2021
A statement from the Department of Health said menopause has also been identified as a priority under the Women’s Health Taskforce.
The Women’s Health Taskforce, which was established in September 2019, aims to improve women’s health outcomes and experiences of healthcare.
The taskforce has met 10 times since it was established in September 2019, and a number of initial priority areas for action were determined last year, with the issue of menopause recognised and included as one of these priority areas, said the department.
“Activity relating to menopause in particular is currently under development. Implementation of actions will be supported by the Budget 2021 allocation of a dedicated €5 million ‘Women’s Health Fund’.
“In 2021, the €5 million Women’s Health Fund will deliver a programme of actions arising from the overall Women’s Health Taskforce activity.
“A national awareness and education campaign will also be delivered to provide a trusted source of information and help normalise discussions about women’s health, which will include menopause.
“Further detail on this activity will be shared once it is finalised in the near term,” said a department spokesperson.
They added that women who experience menopausal symptoms which they find difficult to deal with should see their GP.
“GPs can offer treatments and suggest lifestyle changes if a woman has severe menopausal symptoms that have a significant impact on her everyday activities.
“Women who have a medical card are entitled to a range of services including general practitioner services, prescribed drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards (including consultant services), all out-patient public hospital services (including consultant services),” added the department.
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While my wife is to young for this to happen I remember well my mother going through it. It’s tough time for women and affects some more than others.
@family guy: Can be tough on families and relationships too. The body gets a hormonal reset (sometimes hormone therapy can help but this isn’t always recognised) & it can be some time before things are more or less back in balance. Meanwhile there can be anger, frustration & arguments as a result; it’s probably no coincidence that there’s lots of divorces in this age bracket.
@Mick Tobin: yep the mle midlife crisis usually clashes badly with the female age of having had enough of everyone’s sh*te. Add a few hormones in. Poof!
;-)
@family guy: unfortunately that is not true and one of the misconceptions women are told all the time by doctors – you are too young to be going through it, perimenopause symptoms can start when you are in your 20s and for some even younger, that is why we need to educate women and men on the signs and symptoms to look out for
Dr. Lundy is an excellent representative for women’s health professionals. Evidence-based, sensible and no nonsense. The liveline show was fantastic, required listening!
FFG Press Officer memo to all departments – please please please for th elove of god can we start having some media stories to take the attention away from Housing and the Vulture Funds – anything at all just to let us take up the oxygen with pandering populist comments that Taoiseach confirms he can support ‘wholeheartedly ‘
– The Menopause ??? Yep that’ll do grand – release something about women in Ireland and say we will do an ‘awareness campaign’ – they are always great – awareness campaigns = some quango talking shop committee can be allocated a budget and spend a few million ‘raising awareness’ – jesus wept.
@Dave Hammond: Perhaps Dave as you so quickly belittle the issue could you describe your experience of the menopause?
@Sarah Lou: It’s unreal the amount of similar belittling comments from men on recent women’s health articles here. Sure they’re only women, they only gave you life!
@Eileen Murph: So very true. I mean I cant think of a contrast but lets say todays article on testicular cancer, I wouldnt dream of putting an unrelated politically motivated comment on such a serious topic. But hey it takes all sorts!! Sure its only the menopause…..
@Dave Hammond: I am going to assume with a statement like that you are not in a relationship however if you are when your partner starts to experience loss of libido and you stop having sex life maybe you might become interested in something and realised that it does actually affect you.
Or else you just don’t really have any respect for women mainly Your Mother who gave you life and went through the change.
@Dave Hammond: an awareness campaign is actually extremely important Dave. Menopause is one of the last taboos about our bodies in this country. The whole ‘just get on with it’ attitude which was perpetrated by a religious hold on this country, has caused serious issues for women. A french friend of mine who came to live in Ireland could not believe that women only saw gynaecologists if they had issues. She had routinely seen one since puberty with proper health checks. Women don’t need to suffer in silence and the more people are made aware of the problems women can face, the more women will feel able to speak out. Stances like yours don’t help! It may be a populist reaction from the government, but surely what the public needs is what they are meant to react to.
@Dave Hammond: When will people realise that menopause (natural, surgical, chemo and premature) is not something to be joked about? Andropause too for that matter?
Meno can result in major mental health problems including depression and anxiety which are both very common. Without proper medical management, menopause can result in osteoporosis of the spine and hips, heart disease, urinary incontinence, weight gain and issues with body temperature regulation among many other unpleasant symptoms.
If you think any of that is funny, then empathy is clearly something you lack. Think of your mother, your sister, your aunt having to go through the above list of symptoms. Then think how would you feel if you developed them, and it was seen as a big joke?
@Sarah Lou: I can see how my comment could be taken as belittling the issue but actually if you read carefully I am calling out the Govt PR tactics of spin and distraction – it could have been whatever topic was on Liveline yesterday once they had the reassurance they already had a quango and a commitment for a few million they couldn’t wait to get the releases out – you misunderstood my comment if all you took from it was that i was trying to belittle the subject actually.
@Clare McAfee: i did not suggest it was a joke – I was calling out the pr spin distracting tactics – it’s a well known pr tactic – when taking it in the neck over housing for a week then go see if theres a topic on liveline thats getting traction where Taoiseach can wholeheartedly support and theres already a task force and budget allocated so make sure you push it in the media – trust me if i was going to make a joke i would be sure it was at least funny -
@Fi Wyse: well please don’t assume anything about my relationships or for that matter cast aspersions about lacking respect for women – any intelligent reading of my comment would understand that i was having a cut at government pr tactics – the subject matter was actually irrelevant – how dare you.
@Dave Hammond: any intelligent reading? Do you hear yourself…
All I can see here is the unfounded excuse of a non-existent PR spin to allow yourself to belittle a huge problem. Completely right to assume you aren’t in a relationship, you clearly don’t have any understanding whatsoever of the impact menopause has – and your commentary clearly showed a blatant disregard for any respect for the issue. Or women for the matter.
@Dave Hammond: yes, you did have a joke and make light of a serious problem. “The Menopause ??? “ A “quango committee….”? We need support, better healthcare, funding… we lose women to suicide, marriages are destroyed. This issue isn’t taken seriously in this country, and you didn’t take it seriously either.
Stop excusing your BS and just educate yourself.
Menopause clinics in the public health system are required – not an awareness campaign. Joe has done that already.
I heard part of a program in the last week or two about research that links between menopause and alzhimeirs. It was possibly on newstalk and it was a lady doctor who sounded Spanish, if anyone knows where I could find a link I’d appreciate it, I really wanted to listen back but can’t find it.
@SmallbutMighty: if you can download the radio one app, all the highlights are there including the Joe Duffy show…
@SmallbutMighty: hi there, if you can download the radio one app, all the highlights are there including the Joe Duffy show…
My experience of information available about the menopause has been anchored by my very excellent GP. The medicalisation of peoples health over the age of 40 is highly medicalised and now we need to demand sound social policy on the psycho-social effects of life course trajectories and transitions like peri-menopause and menopause. If women are supported, that’s really all’s that is needed.
As usual it needs a radio show to Give this GoV a kick in the perpendiculars To actually Do anything Positive for the People of Ireland..# Making it up as they go along Chancers
Thank you Taoiseach………….
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