A taboo for too long

SUPPORT NEEDED The first specialist menopause clinic in the west is due to open in Galway before the end of the year.

Guest column
Lisa Chambers

Women’s health is now finally a strong focus of attention for both Government and women themselves. National conversations ignited by campaigners and clinical professionals have educated women on health issues which affect them and encouraged them to speak up, and speak in confidence about many issues, including menopause.
Last week marked the first-ever Menopause Awareness Week in Ireland. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has been spearheading progress in terms of Women’s Healthcare in Ireland and this is a very welcome initiative.
The Government has put this in place as it has listened to women all over the country who have shared their experiences of menopause. The women of Ireland have had a direct role in this campaign being implemented as they called for a better approach in terms of how menopause is treated and managed.
Menopause Awareness Week is important as it’s centred around World Menopause Day on Tuesday, October 18. The hope is this week can raise awareness around the experience of those going through menopause and lift the taboo that exists around talking about it.
Menopause has for too long been a taboo subject which women experienced on their own and weren’t encouraged to talk about or seek medical attention for. We are working to change this and encourage women not only to highlight their experience but to seek out the relevant treatments needed.
I recently launched a Women’s Health Policy document with my parliamentary party colleagues which emphasised the need to take a proactive approach to menopause, which means ensuring support services are available before, during and after menopause.
If we are to support women throughout the different life cycles of their health we have to empower them to speak about their menopause experiences while implementing policies and treatments that can ease the burden they experience.
There has been a huge investment, throughout 2021 and 2022, in women’s health with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly securing funding for six specialist menopause clinics.
A menopause clinic was opened at the National Maternity Hospital in December 2021, while the Rotunda Hospital will open its menopause clinic on World Menopause Day. Further clinics, at Cork University Hospital, the Coombe Hospital, Nenagh Hospital and University Hospital Galway, are scheduled to open by the end of 2022. These clinics are a first in Irish healthcare but the resources and support in place will continue to increase.
Each woman’s menopause experience is quite different. Some women experience mostly light symptoms, while the majority experience moderate symptoms, however, some women go through really severe symptoms that can be almost debilitating. These specialist menopause clinics are being established to improve the care for women experiencing moderate to severe symptoms that need specialist care.
This is the first time healthcare in Ireland will be taking a proactive approach to treating women experiencing menopause and is an important milestone as we make progress in giving women’s healthcare the full respect it deserves and needs. Half of the population will experience menopause and it’s now time we put measures in place to support women through it.

Senator Lisa Chambers, a former TD for Mayo, is deputy leader of Seanad Éireann and Fianna FΡil group leader in the Seanad. She is also party spokesperson on Foreign and European Affairs and is chair of the Seanad Brexit Committee. She has been a long-time campaigner for better support and awareness of menopause.