Senator hopeful legislation for free HRT will be passed by current Dáil

Vivienne Clarke

Green Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly said she is hopeful that legislation ensuring free hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for all women going through menopause will be passed during the lifetime of the current Dáil.

Ms O’Reilly told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that she will introduce a Bill on the motion in the Seanad on Wednesday, adding that she anticipates there will be “full Government support”.

The cost of making HRT freely available to every woman would be €10-20 million per year, including those already receiving the therapy on a medical card, Ms O’Reilly explained.

She added this was actually “very little cost” to the health service as it would prevent very serious symptoms in the long run, such as depression, osteoporosis, diabetes, which would cost more to treat.

Unlike something like contraception, women need HRT for quite a short period of time, she said.

“Women are impacted more by a cost-of-living crisis in terms of period products, in terms of higher costs for women's contraception, in terms of HRT. So let's now break down those barriers.

“For too long in Ireland we hadn't talked about it (menopause), but also for too long we've put women's health to the side

“I think to be fair to Minister for Health [Stephen] Donnelly, he is addressing all of these issues around IVF and free menopause hubs, but I think that this is the next stage now, and I would be hopeful that there'd be a recognition that prevention is the best thing that we can do in terms of health care,” Ms O’Reilly said.