Inaugural Menopause Awareness Week includes event at Enfield

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, TD, has launched the inaugural Menopause Awareness Week, which includes World Menopause Day on Tuesday, October 18.

Since 2019, the Women’s Health Taskforce has listened to more than 2,000 women, and organisations representing women, to understand where they 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”, and there is 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 opening of the first menopause clinic at the National Maternity Hospital in December 2021, and two further clinics in Nenagh, County 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 to open by end of 2022.

The Department of Health’s Menopause Awareness campaign on radio, posters, newspapers, magazines, and online aims to increase the visibility of menopause and break down barriers to talking about menopause for women and everyone.

Minister Donnelly said: “Research has shown that women want more information when it comes to menopause. This awareness week, associated campaign and dedicated website, are 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.”

For more information on menopause, visit gov.ie/menopause.

Menopause Success Summit (MSS) at Johnstown Estate

Catherine O’Keeffe of wellnesswarrior.ie will host the Menopause Success Summit (MSS) at The Johnstown Estate in Meath on October 22 with MC Noelle Brown (actor, activist and writer).

he one-day event brings women together to empower them with the latest accurate information on menopause.

MS O’Keeffe said: “Despite the large number of women going through it, there isn’t clarity around menopause. There’s overwhelming confusion due to the vast amount of conflicting advice that abounds.”

An example of that is the confusion that exists regarding the role of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) in the long-term health of women. Following Davina McCall’s menopause documentary earlier this year, many questions arose around the impact of HRT on dementia, compelling the British Menopause Society to issue the following statement: ‘HRT should not be initiated for the purpose of reducing the risk of dementia in postmenopausal women and at this time, there is not enough evidence to support prescribing HRT for prevention of dementia.’

“I love to see menopause in the media, said Ms O’Keeffe, “but we need to make sure we keep the conversation balanced, and we stick to what the experts and clinical studies say. The consequences of confusing women are too great.”

She said cognitive health is a priority during menopause.

Cognition and Mood is this year’s theme for World Menopause Day, and Ms O’Keeffe’s workplace survey revealed brain fog to be the most challenging symptom for women. That’s why this October, cognitive health will be a headline topic at MSS during a day set up to be the ‘best concise guide to menopause’.

Joining Ms O’Keeffe onstage will be 10 experts in topics ranging from pelvic health to skincare. The day will be devoted to giving women research-backed information that will help them take control of their menopause.

The amount of positive feedback from the first in-person MSS in Cork last May highlighted just how in need women are of knowledge, inspiration and community during this phase of their lives.

“It’s time we shattered the taboo for good,” said Ms O’Keeffe. “MSS is a safe space for any woman to learn how to protect her health for the years ahead as she connects with other women on the same journey.”