3 min Read
It was my absolute privilege to speak at the Senate Inquiry, Community Affairs References Committee, Issues related to menopause and perimenopause on Monday 5th August 2024, in Adelaide.
What an empowering afternoon! I didn’t just shout! Shout, let it all out! I shouted to the top!!!
I got in early, so I could hear other submissions and listen to the brave stories of courage and resilience from the lived experience panel. You can do the same on the link to the live audio coverage below.
I presented on behalf of Menopause Experts Group (#MEG), our submission (#118), and all the women we support now and that we will support in the future.
Please read below my opening statement to the committee (3 min read) and then take the opportunity to listen to the recording of the 30 minutes where I answer questions from the Senators and have robust discussions here. You will need to fast forward to 4:21:45 in the recording.
Opening Statement Senate Inquiry, Community Affairs References Committee:
On behalf of the Menopause Experts Group, Certified Menopause Champions of Australia, we would like to start by thanking the committee for the opportunity to speak with you today and further to thank the Senators for bringing this inquiry to the attention of Government, to improve the health outcomes of women at this important stage of life. We are grateful and are optimistic of the change ahead.
Menopause Experts Group (MEG) was founding in 2020 in the UK and has quickly expanded to 20 countries around the world, including Australia. Our foundation and ongoing growth are, due to the continued gap that exists for women (and Men) in the support of the multiple facets of the menopause journey.
We are a very diverse group of people, predominantly women. In our ranks we have GP’s, current and former Nurses, Naturopaths, Psychologists, Dermatologists, Community Pharmacists, Chefs, Healers, Health Coaches, Business Managers, Project Managers and Managing Directors, to name a few. We are well-established in Australia with experience in education and providing support in our local communities.
While we are diverse, and not all of us come from medical training, what we all have in common is the lived experiences of Menopause and our strong desire to find the answers we needed about our bodies and the options that are available to us; but more importantly to support others so that they no longer suffer in silence, put up with being misdiagnosed, having their symptoms dismissed, leaving roles, leaving families and generally having their amazing life contributions minimized, because they are not being supported through the hormone fluctuations of Menopause.
As MEG champions we support women, men, and organizations through our services to provide consistent information about Menopause, its stages, and solutions to have a positive experience.
We wish to see that women can easily access our services, as part of a valued support framework for medical professionals, who are already under extreme time pressure, and through our services, women will be informed, prepared for appointments and can play an active role in their health outcomes.
We would like to ensure that all treatments are fully subsidized and ideally free! Importantly, that they are easily accessible, including stock, and repeat prescriptions.
In the workplace we strongly encourage education and awareness training, to normalize the conversation, and keep our valued midlife workforce supported in the workplace.
Finally, we hope that this inquiry will recognize that the Menopause journey is not a one size fits all, and that women need access to a range of treatments, services and supports, that may not always be classically medical.
MEG are keen that recommendations and new initiatives tap into our comprehensive and multifaceted network of educators and supporters.
We have a wealth of established services and programs, and it would be important from our perspective that further resources are not wasted reinventing the wheel, and duplicating existing resources where they already exist to provide collaborative care and an integrated holistic approach, to women’s overall wellbeing at this time.
Thank you and we look forward to further discussions.
