Hormone Replacement Therapy is not free, unless you have a medical card. I feel this will encourage all of society – women, men, families, workplaces – to start talking and discussing this transition.” The cost of menopauseĪside from the personal cost in health outcomes, concerns and time away from work, being in menopause has a financial implication also. "A nationwide education campaign is something I have been advocating for since before Covid. Ms Birmingham claims this could be a “game changer”. A new post of ‘Clinical Lead for Women’s Health in General Practice’ is proposed. GP training is considered a key aspect of care and webinars and conferences have begun with more planned. “Significant activity is currently underway to enhance the supports available to women through the menopause,” says Mr Donnelly, and the launch of dedicated clinics was announced in September 2021. Its research found women feel “a sense of loneliness and isolation” around menopause with the topic feeling “secretive and closed, contributing to taboo or stigma”. A Women’s Health Taskforce convened in 2019 to study this and other women-centric topics. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said he recognises menopause as a ‘key health issue’ for women. Ms Birmingham says: “It is wonderful if you find a HRT formulation that suits you and you have no side effects, but many women do experience side effects.” State help Medication comes in the form of patches, transdermal gels, implants, tablets or a combination and your GP is best advised to guide you in terms of efficacy and type. Either a ‘combined’ approach of oestrogen and progesterone for women with wombs, and oestrogen only for women who have had their wombs removed. Treatment is usually offered as Hormone Replacement Therapy. Clinics in Galway and Cork are due to open also. They can also refer you to a specialist clinic located in the National Maternity, Coombe and Rotunda Hospitals and Nenagh General Hospital. They may suggest a blood test to check your hormone levels”. Your GP can usually confirm if you are menopausal based on symptoms. The HSE defines perimenopause as “when you have symptoms before your periods have stopped completely (starting) seven years before periods stop. These include Vodafone, Bank of Ireland and Aldi which have introduced menopause support programs. Organisations and companies increasingly in Ireland are seeing the value, experience and capability of women over 50 years.” Women aged 50-plus are the fastest growing cohort in workplaces. “The old story impeded and limited women who reached the end of their reproductive years,” says Ms Birmingham. "We have to change this story and we are changing it as too many of us still have a lot to offer in society. However, change is occurring primarily because women are starting to speak up in increasing numbers.” Corporate “Menopause as a taboo subject has been shrouded in stigma, fear and silence for decades something that has not benefitted women or society," she says. “Until recently, no preparation, no education and no public signposting for support has left too many in crisis. “It is no coincidence,” says Breeda Birmingham, former midwife and founder of the Midlife Women Rock Project (), “that suicide rates for women peak at age 51”. Experts reveal one in five have no symptoms, but for at least a quarter of the remaining 80pc they will be severe. Well, that turns out to be merely the medical definition, rather than the lived experience.Ĭhange is occurring primarily because women are starting to speak up in increasing numbersĬhanges of all kinds can happen from 40, even 30 and earlier if you’ve had diseases like ovarian cancer. That, we are always told, signals “the change”. It is not recognised mainly because the big marker in menopause is monthly periods ceasing for 12 months. The condition can last, the programme revealed, from four up to 12 years prior to menopause. Most of them – this writer included – first learned the term ‘perimenopause’ when they were in it. From misdiagnosis to being told they were imagining it or too young for it or dealing with dismissive doctors, previously strong, healthy women were reduced to a puddle of worry. It sounds like existing on the brink of some deadly disease.Īnd for many women, they simply had no idea what was wrong. It can mean depression, anxiety, weight gain, insomnia, bloating, heart palpitations, bladder issues and joint pain. “Shame”, “upsetting” and “going mad” were terms bandied about by the women who took part, of their experience of this wholly natural life event.įorget the odd hot flush.
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