Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is interesting that we are talking about another area where women are not treated equally in this society. I have just come from a briefing with the Gaelic Players Association on how female players are not being treated on parity, and here we are talking about another issue where we are not treated on parity.

As others have said, the experiences of menopause are incredibly diverse from one woman to another. It is a pervasive challenge that many women face. I welcome the discussion and thank Senator O'Reilly for tabling the motion. There is a lack of awareness, difficulty in accessing help and support and a general lack of seriousness when it comes to addressing menopausal concerns. The issue extends across various aspects of women's lives, impacting the community, the workplace and even the healthcare system.

Menopause has been a taboo subject. When we look back and remember our mothers going through menopause, we see how it was covered up and the secrecy and shame around the hot flushes and all of that. While we remember our parents, everybody knows that menopausal women are not just individuals going through this natural phase of their life. They are our wives, partners, mothers, sisters, friends, colleagues and bosses. It is high time that we acknowledge their experiences and ensure that they receive the support they deserve, precisely when and where they need it.

Others have mentioned the significant toll on the mental health and overall well-being of countless women. There is also a lack of proper training for healthcare professionals concerning the menopause. Women have the right to access timely, accurate and trustworthy information that can guide and support them through this phase of their lives. We have seen the disinformation around hormone replacement and the impact that had for many years. Furthermore, it is imperative that advancements relating to menopause become an integral part of broader gender sensitivity and unconscious bias training for all healthcare staff. This is essential to enhance the overall quality of care for women and to ensure their unique healthcare needs are met and respected.

Last year, Sinn Féin carried out an online survey asking for women's experiences during the menopause. Some of the findings of that survey were quite stark and demonstrate that many women still face stigma, lack of confidence in discussing menopause with healthcare professionals and insufficient support. The findings include the following: 88% feel there is still stigma in Irish society around the menopause; 97.9% believe the Government is not doing enough to support women experiencing menopausal symptoms in Ireland; 33% are not confident discussing menopause with their GP or consultant; 45% received support or medical advice but felt it was not sufficient and 36.10% did not receive any advice at all; 85% do not believe that healthcare professionals in Ireland are educated enough in perimenopause or menopause; and 81% want to see their workplace implement menopause policies.

I have to draw attention to some of the points in the motion which I do not entirely agree with, especially the line about budget 2024. This funding for contraception was provided last year except it was for those aged 16 to 30. There was no new developments funding for the scheme this year and, in fact, there is not a single reference to the scheme in the budget 2024 expenditure report and the funding provided last year was only for September to December. Given that others, even on the Government side, have said we have not prepared for existing levels of service, ELS, the carryover or demographics for the health service in budget 2024, it is a stretch to claim that women’s health is being prioritised in budget 2024.

In contrast, Sinn Féin’s alternative budget proposed €20.5 million for the maternity strategy and women’s health action plan, as well as €20 million to expand the contraception scheme and €15 million for fertility services. We also proposed 400,000 additional medical cards and to abolish prescription charges, which would expand free access to medicines, including HRT for those least able to afford it, and to reduce the maximum monthly cost of medicines for households to €50 from €80, which would cover and bring in many other families. We also proposed to develop, with GPs, a structured care programme in women’s health in primary care to ensure that services and information are available locally and GPs are supported to support women and ensure comfortable, fully informed environments for discussing their healthcare options.

As I said, it is welcome to have the debate and it is good that people are here talking about why the system needs to be changed with regard to menopausal women. As the Minister of State is present, I want to raise the issue of another group in society who also need hormone replacement, and that is the transgender community. She might provide an update on access to hormone treatment for the transgender community. In 2018, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, met with the trans community to determine how the health service could work in line with international best practice when it came to the provision of hormonal treatment for trans people. However, in 2021, a freedom of information document revealed that the waiting times can be up to a decade, and a ten-year waiting list is essentially no healthcare service at all. I remind the Minister of State that there is another group in society who need hormone replacement therapy and I ask her to give an update.