Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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829. To ask the Minister for Health the current status of the women’s health action plan; whether her Department is planning to integrate premenstrual dysphoric disorder into that plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32289/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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830. To ask the Minister for Health the actions her Department and its agencies are taking to ensure that all healthcare professionals, including GPs, psychiatrists, nurses, midwives and allied health practitioners, are aware of PMDD; the training, guidelines or continuous professional development programmes in place or planned to support earlier and more accurate diagnosis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32290/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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831. To ask the Minister for Health the plans in place to educate the general population, school communities and healthcare practitioners on women’s health conditions such as PMDD, including whether the Department will liaise with the Minister for Education and Youth to ensure relevant content on hormones and mental health is incorporated into Junior and Senior Cycle SPHE (or successor) curricula; whether women’s health–specific education will be made a mandatory element of undergraduate and postgraduate training for GPs, psychiatrists and other relevant professionals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32291/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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832. To ask the Minister for Health whether her Department has considered commissioning a national prevalence study on women’s health conditions, specifically focusing on comorbidities, including but not limited to PMDD; if such a study has been considered, to state the expected timeline for its initiation and completion; if not, to outline the reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32293/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 829 to 832, inclusive, together.

The Women’s Health Action Plans 2022-2023 and 2024-25 together with significant investment, have resulted in important improvements to women’s health services in Ireland. The work of the Women’s Health Taskforce and the implementation of these Action Plans has also increased awareness of many women’s health issues, both among the public and amongst healthcare professionals.

The current Women’s Health Action Plan commits to building an evidence base for women’s health through commissioned research and evidence reviews. To date, my Department has commissioned a number of research projects including one being undertaken by the Health Research Board relating to “Women’s health treatment interventions and outcomes: An evidence and gap map review” and which is currently in the final stages of development. This work will assist in informing us of future research needs in women’s health.

Specifically on menstrual health, my Department has included this topic in a number of surveys and research reports.

The 2022 Healthy Ireland Survey included a module on menstrual health and period poverty, which asked about the prevalence of adverse period related symptoms significant enough to cause women to miss out on activities of daily living (for example, school, college, work, sports or social activities). The results indicated that 51% of women currently having periods had missed activities of daily living on occasion because of period symptoms, and that 24% had experienced period poverty. Similarly, a shorter module on menstrual health and period poverty was included in the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study, which found that 60% of girls old enough to have periods had missed school on occasion because of period symptoms and that 10% were impacted by period poverty.

The Healthy Ireland and HSE National Social Inclusion Office teams have recently set up linked websites on the topic of menstrual health and period poverty/period dignity. The HSE site links to the HSE’s clinical advice on periods and to information leaflets.

The Healthy Ireland Survey reports and questionnaires can be accessed at: www.gov.ie/en/healthy-ireland/collections/healthy-ireland-survey-documents/#:~:text=Below%20are%20all%20the%20relevant%20Healthy%20Ireland%20Survey,2015%20-%202023%20are%20available%20here%20on%20data.cso.ie.

The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study can be accessed at: www.universityofgalway.ie/hbsc/hbscireland/.

The HSE Period Dignity site can be accessed here: www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/primarycare/socialinclusion/about-social-inclusion/news/hse-period-poverty-pilot.html.

I am aware that my colleague Minister Foley and her Department are finalising the next cross-Government National Strategy for Women and Girls. My Department is working with closely with officials in that Department to ensure the health needs and experiences of women and girls are reflected in the new Strategy. I understand that the new Strategy will take a life-cycle approach, looking at the different age cohorts of women and girls, recognising and addressing the different challenges that affect them. Such an approach aligns with the one taken in the Women’s Health Action Plans. Such issues include the education and support of women and girls regarding menstrual health and menopause, and include the various conditions associated with women’s reproductive health. This includes, but is not limited to, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), peri-menopause and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

In relation to education, and as the Deputy will be aware, both female and male health education in schools is supported through the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum.

At primary level this occurs in a number of strands, including the ‘Myself’ and the ‘Knowing about My Body’ strand units. Opportunities are also provided in the SPHE curriculum at both junior and senior cycle to address women’s health including fertility and for further learning on menstruation. The HSE suite of resources developed to support the updated Junior Cycle SPHE curriculum includes resources specifically developed to support the teaching and learning on male and female reproductive systems, and menstrual health and wellbeing.

In addition, Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum specifications at all levels provide vital opportunities for the development of children’s wellbeing whether physical, emotional or social.

These curriculum specifications have been undergoing review and updating in recent years. Updated Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle curriculum specifications include learning outcomes and strands relating to health and wellbeing, including specifically emotional wellbeing and mental health, and also in relation to how to access and appraise appropriate and trustworthy information, services and supports about health and wellbeing. More broadly, I understand that the Department of Education and Youth’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice, which informs the ongoing work in the area of student wellbeing and mental health. The approach in the Wellbeing Policy is founded on research and best international practice in relation to how schools can best support the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.

A dedicated wellbeing portal is also available, bringing together all the wellbeing supports and resources that have been developed by the Department of Education and the Department’s support services, which is available under ‘Wellbeing for Education’ on gov.ie.

In relation to healthcare professional awareness and training, the Irish College of GPs develops and delivers education on a range of community gynaecology topics including PMDD. Education is delivered in a range of formats from the large scale webinar to the in-depth skills based education in blended, modular format. This is CPD education, which is also available to GPs in training. PMDD is included as a mandatory topic in this course. The Community Gynaecology Course promotes effective communication skills in relation to a range of Gynaecological conditions and procedures

The Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology’s published clinical guidelines on ‘Management of Premenstrual Syndrome’, provides clinicians with a comprehensive tool to diagnose and treat severe PMS: obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.14260.

In relation to women’s health generally, I am pleased to say that since 2020, over €180m of additional funding has enabled significant advances in women’s health services in Ireland.

With this focus and investment there have been a number of services established and expanded since the publication of the first Women’s Health Action Plan. These include:

• Free Contraception Scheme to women aged 17-35 years.
• 6 Specialist Menopause Clinics for women with complex experiences of menopause. Over 1,700 new patients seen nationally in 2024.
• 5 Postnatal hubs giving women access to postnatal care in community settings with 8 more coming on stream over the next year or so.
• 2 supra-regional specialist endometriosis centres and 5 regional endometriosis hubs have been established providing access to endometriosis treatments.
• All 19 maternity hospitals are providing full termination of pregnancy services, as prescribed in the 2018 Act.
• Introduction of a Free HRT arrangement for women experiencing menopause symptoms.
• The development of ‘quick reference guides’ to support GPs and Practice Nurses in diagnostics and treatment at primary care level, including Menopause, Fertility, Contraception etc.
• A network of 18 ‘see and treat’ ambulatory gynaecology clinics have been established improve access to gynaecology services and reduce waiting times with 3 more coming on stream. It is expected that more than 24,000 appointments will be delivered through the service this year.
• A new National Perinatal Genomics Service is being established to ensure women have access to critical testing both during pregnancy, and in planning for future pregnancies.
• 6 fully operational Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks covering the entire country.
• The Women’s Health Fund was established in Budget 2021. This fund has supported a range of priority service areas, including mental health, menopause, endometriosis, post natal care, training and awareness for health professional, women’s cardiovascular health, information and awareness campaigns, period dignity supports, Cervical Cancer Elimination supports and targeted supports for marginalised women.