Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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1632. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 440 of 2 October 2025, the reason transgender men who may have had their ovaries removed are excluded from the free HRT scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57790/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Under the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Arrangement, which came into effect on 1 June 2025, where a woman has been prescribed a HRT product by her healthcare provider for the purpose of alleviating the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause, the cost of the HRT medications or products, and the dispensing fees will be met by the State.

This measure is intended to support the management of the symptoms of menopause and, therefore, relates to the provision of treatment for the symptoms a specific medical condition/life stage, i.e., menopause. HRT is the most commonly used treatment for managing symptoms of menopause and has shown to be the most effective intervention.

Menopause has been highlighted as a key priority area by the Women’s Health Taskforce. It is a key action in the Women’s Health Action Plans. A number of measures have been implemented in recent years to improve the experience of menopause for women in Ireland, including this HRT arrangement.

The diagnosis of any medical condition and the prescribing of treatment for said condition is a matter for a patient and healthcare provider to discuss.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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1633. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 440 of 2 October 2025, the reason a distinction was made between women who have had their ovaries removed and those born without them in the case of transgender women to get access to the free HRT scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57791/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Under the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Arrangement, which came into effect on 1 June 2025, where a woman has been prescribed a HRT product by her healthcare provider for the purpose of alleviating the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause, the cost of the HRT medications or products, and the dispensing fees will be met by the State.

This measure is intended to support the management of the symptoms of menopause and, therefore, relates to the provision of treatment for the symptoms a specific medical condition/life stage, i.e., menopause. HRT is the most commonly used treatment for managing symptoms of menopause and has shown to be the most effective intervention.

Menopause has been highlighted as a key priority area by the Women’s Health Taskforce. It is a key action in the Women’s Health Action Plans. A number of measures have been implemented in recent years to improve the experience of menopause for women in Ireland, including this HRT arrangement.

The diagnosis of any medical condition and the prescribing of treatment for said condition is a matter for a patient and healthcare provider to discuss.