Spike in numbers waiting for counselling services at Cork Sexual Health Centre

A Cork health centre has seen a 61% jump in demand for its counselling services since 2023, the majority of which relate to crisis pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, and menopause issues.

Some services now have a six-week waiting list due to under-resourcing, a spokesperson for Cork’s Sexual Health Centre has said.

The centre was founded in 1987 as the Cork AIDS Alliance, to support peopleacross Cork and Kerry living with HIV. It has since expanded its services to include pregnancy testing and counselling, advice and information on post-termination, and menopause issues.

In recent years it has seen a sustained and growing demand for women’s sexual and reproductive health counselling supports, supporting more than 9,600 people last year alone.

Between the start of 2023 and end of 2025, 154 people received counselling over crisis pregnancy and 227 availed of the centre’s counselling after terminating a pregnancy — services which are accessible through self-referral, including for partners. In 2023, 48 clients received crisis pregnancy counselling and 67 got post-termination counselling. This rose to 58 and 73 respectively last year.

Last year also saw the addition of miscarriage counselling, which 45 clients availed of, infertility counselling which six people received, and complex menopause counselling, which four people received.

Pilot expansion of services

A spokesperson for the centre told The Echo: “The counselling supports for complex menopause, infertility, recurrent miscarriage and related reproductive health issues were introduced as part of a pilot expansion of services.

“These services are currently only accessible through referral pathways such as CUMH in Cork or HSE menopause hubs, with no self-referral option available. Although the service is relatively new, demand has already been significant and we are currently operating with an approximately six-week waiting list.”

During the first quarter of this year the centre had already seen nine clients for crisis pregnancy counselling, 23 for post-termination, 24 for miscarriage, 15 for infertility and five for complex menopause counselling.

“These figures reflect increasing demand for specialist reproductive health counselling supports, alongside ongoing capacity and access challenges,” the spokesperson said.

Speaking to the Oireachtas Health Committee recently, Fiona Finn, CEO of the Sexual Health Centre Cork, said they were seeing an increasing demand for counselling services related to crisis pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, complex menopause, and endometriosis.

Significant unmet need

“This reflects significant unmet need. These services are under-resourced, limiting access,” she said.

“Barriers also persist within the termination of pregnancy legal framework. The mandatory three-day waiting period to access a termination places additional stress on individuals without any clear clinical benefit.”

Ms Finn acknowledged progress made in sexual health in recent years, such as expanded access to free contraception and home STI testing.

“Despite this progress, significant structural challenges remain. Sexual health services in Ireland are often disjointed, requiring individuals to navigate multiple providers and locations for testing, counselling, contraception, and treatment,” she said.

“This creates complexity and delays, particularly for groups such as rural populations, young people, migrants, and those with limited financial resources, for whom multiple appointments can become a significant barrier to engagement.”

Ms Finn said these waiting times “remain a critical concern”.

“Sexual health is time-sensitive and delays increase transmission risk, worsen anxiety, and reduce the effectiveness of prevention strategies.”