I welcome the Hon. Member for Swansea East’s Bill today.
I have received numerous emails from constituents on this matter and I would like to give all women in beautiful Hastings and Rye a voice in this Place.
HRT is a treatment to relieve symptoms of menopause by replacing the oestrogen and progesterone hormones that the body no longer produces.
The most common form of HRT medication is a daily tablet, but it can also be taken via applying a skin patch or gel medication to the skin, or a small pellet under the skin.
HRT prescriptions cost £9.35 per item in England on the NHS, but are free in Wales and Scotland. Contrast this with regular contraception, which is free throughout the NHS.
Some women take a combination of both progesterone and oestrogen. I take progesterone only and do not have to pay for the prescription as it is considered birth control. I am not using it as birth control, but as a mid-life hormone regulator in order that I can get on with my daily life. Many women are advised to take HRT for over five years or longer – I know many mature women who have been on HRT for years, meaning the treatment can amount to hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Having to pay for HRT can act as a financial barrier than can put some women off seeking treatment and “prices others out altogether”.
We have heard quite a bit from celebrities over the past several months about the menopause and I am grateful, as I am sure many women of all ages are, in their campaigning and highlighting this issue - Mariella Frostrup, Davina McCall, Mika Simmons to name but a few.
These women have put menopause front, right, left and centre and have highlighted the importance of exercise, diet and hormone therapy etc. Our bodies are complex and there is no doubt that we need to take a holistic approach to the menopause.
Both Mariella and Davina highlighted so many aspects of the menopause on their separate TV shows dedicated to the subject, from asking the British Public how they feel about the menopause, hot flushes, the truth about HRT, depression and mental fog. It is so important that these popular celebrity women on TV talk about the menopause. These women are fundamental to the cause because no one really gives two hoots about the difficulties facing female MPs, let alone menopausal ones. But, we can legislate!
All women - if they are lucky enough to live long enough - go through the menopause. In fact, the menopause currently affects around 13 million women in the UK – all working age women. For some it is very traumatic as a result of cancer, for example, or a natural process due to age. Some unfortunate women suffer an early menopause, affecting their ability to have children. Over 60 per cent of women experience symptoms resulting in behaviour changes - it can cause trauma, chaos, homicidal thoughts and so much more.
What is the menopause? Ovarian function declines and our ovaries produce less oestrogen and progesterone. Women also make testosterone and DHEA (I cannot pronounce it) and produce these from our adrenal glands even after the menopause. Enzymes in our bodies change testosterone into oestrogen so our adrenal glands and their health are important -and keeping our stress levels under control (which can be very difficult for many women in today’s world).
The thought (or rather reality) that symptoms can last up to 15 years beggars belief.
1 in 4 women will experience severe debilitating symptoms.
Women are being incorrectly diagnosed as depressed and given antidepressants. Conversely, I know women who have been genuinely ill with serious disease and their symptoms are put down to the menopause. My older sister has just had a major operation because of physicians wrongly labelling symptoms as menopause ‘it’s in your head’. One woman I know is actually dying because dentists and medics put her symptoms down to menopausal hysteria. She is slowly dying of complications arising from a missed periapical abscess.
Can I ask the Minister to ensure that GPs are fully appraised and have formal training about the menopause so that millions of women get the right support and medical care for the right symptoms?
I welcome the Government’s Women’s Health Strategy, for which the call for evidence closed in June 2021, and understand that it will be published in due course. It would be great to have a date in the not too distant future for this. This Strategy will look to tackle menopause education and how the menopause affects women’s workforce participation, productivity and outcomes.
It is also good news that from September 2020, relationships, sex education and health education have been compulsory in all state-funded schools and as part of this, pupils are taught about menstrual health and the menopause.
This Bill could help thousands more women to access this life-changing treatment and will put the menopause under the microscope.
Whilst it is fantastic to hear that business such as Timpsons are offering to pay for HRT prescriptions for staff going through the menopause not everyone has such understanding and compassionate employers and I ask the Minister to outline what steps she will be taking as regards employment and the menopause.
Could I also ask the Minister to consider exempting HRT treatment from NHS prescription charges to “ensure all women who require it are not unfairly financially penalised” for seeking treatment – treatment that is necessary to enable many women to continue normal, productive working and private lives.
This is a Bill for all women in England and deserves our support.