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WOMEN ACROSS IRELAND have described feeling lied to, let down and emotionally and financially drained as a result of a confusing and chaotic system of providing healthcare for menopause.
One woman told The Journal that the delayed State scheme to cover the cost of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) shows that “the women of Ireland are being let down again”, while another woman said: “I work, paid my taxes, ran a modest car, scrimped and saved… What was it all for?”.
Pharmacies and the State are in a deadlock over providing free HRT, with pharmacists saying they weren’t consulted on it and that women will still have to pay some money towards the treatment – despite what the Government announced last October.
We asked our readers to get in touch with us to tell us about how the delay in the rollout of the scheme was affecting them.
We received a flood of responses from women, sharing stories of having to ration their HRT patches due to the cost, having to travel abroad to source products that are in short supply in Ireland, and expressing fear that having to change their medication will have a negative impact on their symptoms.
Thank you to everyone who got in touch.
Here’s what you told us.
A 43-year-old woman from Dublin told The Journal that she had waited until January of this year to start taking HRT because the scheme was due to be implemented.
“I put it off for nearly a year of needing the medication because of the high costs, thinking it was going to be free. I had to get it eventually because I needed it, and it’s just an additional cost for me when I’m paid each month on top of the rising bills,” she said.
She said she had emailed Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald’s office asking that the matter be raised in the Dáil and received a response saying that there is no update as the scheme hasn’t been updated yet “and looks like it won’t be for some time”.
While she hasn’t been affected by supply issues, which are also a problem, the woman said she finds that the patches she uses don’t always stick to the skin well, meaning she sometimes finds herself having to use more than one after a day because of the previous one coming off.
“That results in me having to get some more patches before I’m due my next monthly prescription. It’s just an additional cost with the waste of the patches,” she said.
Bridget, who is 61-years-old and a widow, has been prescribed HRT for a number of years. She told The Journal that she uses a combination of both pessaries and patches.
“I sometimes have to skip the oestrogen pessaries as the cost is prohibitive at times,” she said. “I also halve the HRT patches if I have additional monthly household expenses, such as heating or car repairs.”
Bridget said she is a widow and as she works part time, she does not qualify for a GP visit card or a medical card “due to the extremely low income thresholds”.
I would really struggle if I were to incur any additional prescription medications. Fingers crossed, I won’t.
A 46-year-old woman based in Dublin told The Journal that she also has to conserve her HRT patches at times.
“The delay in the scheme has affected me because financially, I’m not great at the minute and I was really looking forward to it being cheaper – not free, that was clear almost immediately,” she said.
“I have struggled to pay for the meds before. What happens is I ration them, so my moods are very much affected and I begin to feel unwell, tired and emotional.”
In the last 18 months, she said her pharmacy has only been able to access a different HRT patch to the one that she is prescribed due to supply shortages.
“It gives me a skin rash, but the HRT is worth it. I don’t blame my excellent local chemist, I know there are worldwide shortages.”
A woman based in Kildare said that the announcement of the free HRT scheme in the Budget last year was one of the reasons that she voted for the Government in the general election in November.
“I now feel foolish for believing them,” she told The Journal.
The woman said the supply shortage means that she is given generic products by her pharmacist, which she does not find as effective as branded ones. “Generic patches frequently don’t stick fully to my skin and I do not get the same relief from symptoms.”
She also described having to travel from Kildare to the Irish Family Planning Association clinic in Tallaght to try and get a prescription for HRT.
“Three GPs in my area refused to prescribe HRT. My symptoms were crippling and I was told to lose weight and walk more. I was the correct weight for my height and I walked 7kms every day.
“I was so bad I was considering giving up work, even though I have a mortgage and, at the time, a dependent child. HRT has given me my life back.
I feel let down by the Government and the pharmacists. Contraception is free to women under a certain age. It is also a hormone-type product. What is the difference with HRT?
A single mother from Dublin said she has had to pay for HRT for the last few months, while working and paying a mortgage by herself. “There’s not much left over,” she told The Journal.
A woman who has been taking HRT for the last five years told The Journal that her prescribed dosage is a 75mg patch.
“As it is only sold in 25mg and 50mg patches, I have to pay for two patches,” she said. “It’s absolutely draining emotionally and financially.
Why is it so hard to sort out this agreement? At this stage, it seems it was just an exercise to get votes.
Karen, a 51-year-old woman from Wicklow, has experienced the same problem.
“My pharmacy has been in short supply of my prescribed oestrogen patch and so they have given me another genetic brand. This has meant that I have had to cut the patch in two for my dosage, which then leaves it unable to stick to my skin properly,” she said.
“Within two days, the patch falls off and so I end up using another one, which increases my monthly cost.
“On occasion I have waited until I am due to put on a fresh patch and notice that there is a quick return of my menopausal symptoms while waiting. This has left me feeling frustrated and powerless to do anything about it.”
After voicing her concerns with her pharmacist, Karen said she was advised to change to an oestrogen cream, which is something she does not want to have to do.
“The cost of my HRT medication is €40 per month. I paid less for a six month supply of my contraceptive pill when I was younger and had less bills. It does not make sense.”
Ruth from Cork has been taking HRT since 2021. “I have been paying the full €80 on the Drug Repayment Scheme for my prescription every month, on top of paying for GP visits and blood tests,” she told The Journal.
“We were promised free HRT from January 2025, and I’m appalled that the women of Ireland are being let down – again – while, it seems, the pharmacies are using this opportunity to try and advance their long-standing grievance with the Government on prescription fees.”
Ruth said the supply issues with HRT products over the last number of years have been “disgraceful”, adding: “I have never heard of supply issues with Viagra!
“I have personally traveled to The Canary Islands with a physical prescription as I’m tired of being offered substitutes, as if it were as easy as swapping out an ice pop to a child.
Women react differently to brands of patches, and the result can be really traumatic, debilitating symptoms.
“I’m done with phoning dozens of pharmacies every month to see who might have my patches, and I’m done with all this fannying about with something that was promised to us over six months ago now. Sort it out please… before I become a hysterical woman!”.
A 52-year-old woman living in Dublin told The Journal that she had to travel to Northern Ireland to find the HRT patch that she was prescribed last year as she couldn’t find any pharmacy in the Republic that had it in stock.
“The issue is that the other brands are inferior in quality and comfort in comparison to the Novartis patch,” she said. “I understand it’s a global supply and demand issue but it’s quite a hassle and uncertainty remains over how long this short supply will last.”
She also said that the progesterone tablets she is prescribed “are very expensive” and called for the process around licensing products to be examined.
“Strangely, the 200mg version is unlicensed in Ireland and much more expensive than the 100mg version, which is licensed.
“The cost of a six-month supply for both medications is close to €200, so the delay is very inconvenient. I hope it won’t take too long before it’s implemented. HRT has made a big difference to the quality of my life, so it’s not something I would want to miss out on.”
A woman who wished to remain anonymous said HRT “has saved me for the past five years”.
“It has taken four years of constant research and being in tune with my body to get the doses right,” she told The Journal.
“It costs me €70 a month. I can’t afford it, but I can’t do without because of the quality of life it affords me to contribute to my job, my leisure pursuits, life in general – not to mention preventative measures to combat core morbidities going forward.
“Women’s health is everybody’s wealth, even after the reproductive years.”
J, a 44-year-old woman, told The Journal she had to be prescribed HRT after having her ovaries removed, which she described as “not for the faint hearted”.
“I have to take HRT to reduce my cardiovascular risk, my bone density risk and to manage the symptoms.
“I have to pay for the HRT patches on the Drug Payment Scheme. My pharmacy is fantastic and I have never not had a supply. As I’m so high-risk, they endeavour to have a supply for me.”
Sandra from Meath has been taking HRT for the last three years. She told The Journal that this year “has been the biggest struggle”.
“The so-called free HRT scheme was going to be a help as I am also on other medications. It was announced in the last Budget that it was going to be free and then nothing,” she said.
“Having to use HRT is beyond our control, we don’t choose to take it. But it’s not taken seriously.”
She said the shortage in supply of HRT patches is a “major issue”.
“I have had to post on social media to try to find some in stock,” the woman said. “The anxiety it causes every month, wondering will I get it.
“This is also to do with the Government, as they make the deals with suppliers. It’s one of the hardest parts of a woman’s life to go through and there’s no support.”
Sinead, a 48-year-old woman from Laois, told The Journal that being prescribed HRT two years ago resolved a lot of issues for her, particularly around insomnia, which was affecting her marriage.
“I was put on one type of patch and it worked really well, but due to shortages I had to move onto another patch for six months, which affected my mood so much I almost left my marriage,” she said.
“The original patch I was on came back into stock and the change within a few weeks was unbelievable. But unfortunately, it’s now out of stock again and I’ve been put on a third patch. I’m terrified it will affect my mood again.”
She said that while she has just about been able to afford HRT, the change in the patches she is using has led to the cost going up to €75 a month.
“Even with that, I consider myself lucky that I can afford the regular doctors appointments required and the cost of the patches. My heart absolutely goes out to women who badly need it but just cannot afford it. It’s a disgrace.
The lack of movement on the Government around this is dreadful and the fact that the supply issues are still not resolved is completely shameful.
A 50-year-old woman told The Journal that she has osteoporosis and is prescribed HRT to protect her bone density. She described the wait for the scheme as “very, very frustrating”.
“There has also been a shortage of my prescribed brand and dosage for months now, causing further problems,” she said.
“Lies yet again from our Government” is how another woman described the scheme to The Journal.
“It is coming into April now and I am still paying €40 a month for my HRT. The shortage of patches is also a disgrace. I have now had to change to using a gel as having to use different patches every month affects me.”
A woman in her 40s from Cork told The Journal that she had a hysterectomy three years ago as a last resort to deal with endometriosis. “I also have major depression disorder, so my working life has been fitful,” she said.
“I work part-time in a job that I love and that I’m good at, and can manage with the support of my colleagues no matter how bad things are outside of work.
“I’ve been taking synthetic hormones of some sort for nearly 30 years, and with no naturally occurring oestrogen or progesterone, using HRT patches means that this is the first time I’m really able to know the difference between fluctuating hormones, depression, and normal mood variations brought on by life at large.
“The fragility of the supply chain has left me using whatever brand of oestrogen patches are available – sometimes three brands in three months – and occasionally paying out-of-pocket, despite having a medical card.
“Money is always tight, but at least I’ve a (rented) roof over my head and can put food on my table. But changing hormones means changing moods, and I’m finding that very tough to cope with… I’m just begging for a bit of regularity of supply.
“Scheme or no scheme, HRT is a part of my life now. I need the squabbling to stop so they can focus on regularity of supply.”
One woman described the scheme as “a joke”.
“It was announced without any consultation with pharmacists and there is a shortage of HRT as it is,” she said.
“Everytime I go to get my HRT prescription filled, there is a big drama. The pharmacy does not have what has been prescribed, I cannot order more than one month ahead because of shortages, I have to accept a suitable alternative, and so on.
“This is not a reflection on the pharmacy, but it means I cannot stray for more than one month, holding me hostage to one dispensing pharmacy.
“I refuse to buy online because of quality standards and my pharmacist holds all my prescriptions so I am less likely to poison myself.
Make it free or don’t, but do not make an announcement without foundation.
A 55-year-old woman living in Kildare told The Journal also described the scheme as a joke.
“I have not gotten one single break since I started working at 16 years old. I missed the Help to Buy scheme. I missed the free GP care for children. I missed the parental leave entitlements. I work so I have never had a medical card,” she said.
“I returned to work 12 weeks (statutory) after having each of my children. They were not even weaned onto solid food. When I could afford to, I took extra unpaid leave. I had to pay for my children to go to preschool, which was a small fortune on top of my mortgage.
“I paid to take my family on holidays and scrimped and saved every cent. I ran a modest car, paid my taxes, health insurance, paid for home heating, insurance, kids’ activities. Sometimes I really did wonder what was it all for?
“Finally, I thought here is one thing I can actually qualify for, and now, that too is being delayed. What about the women my age? I have contributed to society all of my life and I matter too.
This is a shocking time of life for some women. Support us now in this small way.
A 56-year-old mother from Carlow told The Journal that HRT makes “a massive difference to my quality of life”.
“The symptoms of menopause are debilitating to say the least. I could not manage my life without HRT,” she said.
“Most menopausal women are at the height of our careers and those with kids, like me, have teenagers (it’s a hormone-riddled household!) to look after. I had three kids under four, but I am busier now than I’ve ever been.
“Money is tricky and the cost of living is still high. I’m still paying a lot towards the mortgage, bills, kids are expensive at this age… and I’m also paying money towards my mum’s care.
“Free HRT would make a big difference. Let’s face it, no one needs or wants to be on it forever – just until the hormones have stopped doing mad things to us and life has settled down a bit.”
Sabine from Dublin told The Journal that the delay in the rollout of the scheme “exemplifies how the priorities of political measures are subject to gender bias”.
“As a member of the so-called squeezed middle – a two-income household with three teenage children – I am not massively affected by the delay since my HRT is around €20 per month,” she said.
“However, I feel that it reflects how low mature women are in the Government’s priorities. This kind of undue delay has never been observed in aspects of the economy where men are represented in a majority.
The very delay in itself shows that this measure was not envisaged seriously.
A woman who wished to remain anonymous told The Journal that she pays €800 per year on HRT.
“I can’t help but think if this was a male issue, HRT would have been free years ago,” she said.
“The delay is unacceptable. Women are still being treated as second-class citizens. Those not experiencing the awful symptoms of menopause have no idea how debilitating it is, physically and mentally. We need to raise awareness of the menopause.”
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