Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important issue, which was also discussed in the Dáil during the Topical Issues debate on Thursday last. Sometimes Ministers can be asked to respond to questions in an area with which they are not especially familiar, but when it came to talking about the menopause, I was well qualified to answer.

It is great to hear what has happened on the airwaves over the last couple of weeks. Women have been given a voice and somebody to listen to them. That was a huge part of it. It was therapeutic that someone was there to listen. It was also great for men to be given an understanding of how difficult it can be for women going through the menopause.

The Government recognises that menopause is a key health issue for women in Ireland today. Stigma and uncertainty persist for many women on an issue which will impact over half of the population and this has to change. Work is under way to drive progress in this area. This has been driven by the women's health task force, which was convened in September 2019 to improve health outcomes and experiences for women and girls.

The menopause has been identified as a priority under the women's health task force. A number of initial priority areas for action were determined by the task force in 2020, with the issue of menopause recognised and included as one of these priority areas. This is welcome.

In terms of treatment, most women will experience some symptoms around the menopause. The duration and severity of these symptoms vary from woman to woman. It is recommended that women who experience menopausal symptoms which they find difficult to deal with see their GP. GPs can offer treatment and suggest lifestyle changes if a woman has severe menopausal symptoms that have a significant impact on her everyday activities.

Discussion is under way between the Department and the HSE on the provision of potential additional support to this area and I will be happy to update the House on the matter once it has been approved and finalised.

An important aspect to mention is that increased information and awareness has been a key ask heard from women on this issue. This has been heard by the women's health task force, both through direct engagement with stakeholders and the national radical listening consultation exercise under way to capture women's voices and views of health in Ireland. This has also been reiterated in recent media conversations. I am happy to share details of activity, both under way and planned, which will address this ask specifically such as the inclusion of menopause as a topic within the new HSE online citizen health guides currently under development.Menopause will be included within a women's health information repository site of trusted sources, to be developed over the coming months. It will also be included as a topic in an education and communication campaign on specific women's health issues that is intended to be held later this year. Women's health will be represented on the healthy workplace framework implementation committee that will be convened later this year. This will help ensure women's health needs are addressed in this forum with particular reference to increased awareness of menopause within the workplace, which can be very difficult for some ladies. I was listening one day to a woman who felt there was no understanding in the workplace of what she was going through.

I hope this has given the Senator some assurance that the Department and the HSE are fully aware of the importance of this issue for the women of Ireland, and that we are actively engaged to deliver positive change in this area. I know the Senator will drive this issue in the Seanad.