A Dublin doctor has called on the government to make more healthcare more inclusive for women through measures such as a wider rollout of free contraception.
Dr Caoimhe Hartley runs the Menopause Health Clinic in Dalkey, which first opened its doors in April 2021. The clinic primarily assists menopausal patients but also provides women with contraception and health screenings, including breast checks, cervical smears and blood work.
Caoimhe explains that certain issues, such as free contraception and hormone replacement therapy, require further input from the Irish government. She believes that current legislation, which allows women under the age of 26 to access contraception free of charge, should encompass women up to the age of 55.
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She told Dublin Live: " There is no reason it should start at 17 and end before 30. We know women who have periods and are sexually active until that age could become pregnant- it's a bit discriminatory to have an age under 30 as the cut off point."
Additionally, the doctor says HRT has positive associations with women's health. The hormone replacement treatment, which helps alleviate severe symptoms of menopause, was linked in a 2002 review on women's health to slightly higher odds of developing breast cancer. This ultimately led to a decline in the treatment's uptake.
However, recent studies have suggested that there are some medical benefits to using HRT, despite decades long resistance. Caoimhe welcomes this as a positive step forward and says that it could easily help patients, depending on their individual circumstances.
She adds: "HRT is probably the most effective treatment we have at the moment for menopausal symptoms, but it depends on the person. It's important to remember that the therapy has changed a lot since the 1990s and safer forms of the treatment are now being used."
Evidence-based information is central to the clinic's philosophy. Caoimhe will be one of the main speakers at the National Menopause Summit in an effort to shift the conversation on women's health, with the conference taking place on March 23 in the Mansion House.
She wants to end decades of misinformation surrounding women's health by reassuring patients that the menopause is not to be feared- the condition varies greatly depending on the individual.
She explains: "While 30 per cent of women may experience more severe symptoms relating to menopause, a further 20 per cent won't have any at all. It's a spectrum and it's ok for women to know that not everyone feels terrible going through menopause- it can be really reassuring to know this ahead of time."
The clinic has gone from strength to strength since it opened almost two years ago. The small team hopes that their clinic's work will eventually be incorporated more widely across communities.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced in 2021 that six publicly funded menopausal clinics would be phased in over time. Five out of these clinics are currently open, while a sixth will be launched in Cork sometime in 2023.
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