‘Tell Me More…’: The new women’s health series that answers all your questions about your body
Having questions about your body as a woman is perfectly normal – we’re a complex web of interconnecting systems that seem to make no sense to us at times. Our own bodies can be a mystery to us, and it’s important to lift that veil to fully understand our health and wellbeing.
Which is why it’s exciting to see The Women’s Health Taskforce stepping up to educate and share their insights about women’s bodies, their issues and health journeys.
They are starting the ‘Tell Me More…’ series, which will run from the 22nd November to the 3rd of December and aims to engage in conversation on periods and other gynaecological topics such as periods and gynae stuff as a young person, endometriosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, menopause, physical activity and mental health.
Designed to be a platform for the learning and information sharing necessary to support you in your health journey, the events will take place over Zoom and are free and open to the public. Speakers will include expert clinicians, organisers, patient representatives and many more as they aim to discuss the woman’s experience with their own health.
The program and taskforce is a result of a 2021 report of ‘radical listening’ publihsed by Simon Coveney which aims to promote women’s health outcomes and experiences of healthcare following a recommendation from the Scoping Inquiry into the Cervical Check Screening Programme that women’s health issues be given more consistent, expert and committed attention by this department.
Led by independent researchers, over 270 women participated in these discussions from all over Ireland, sharing their experiences of, and wishes for, the Irish health system. The report provides invaluable insight into women’s experiences of healthcare in Ireland.
The Department of Health assembled the Women's Health Taskforce in 2019 to engage with and work with more than 1,000 individuals and organisations representing women across the country. Their concerns and problems were heard and were turned into the program covering the topics of concern this year.
As a result of this study, the 2021 budget had allocated €5 million to the Women’s Health Fund to implement a number of measures to prioritise women’s health in this country as well as an additional €12 million in funding for the development of maternity, gynaecology and fertility services, and €10 million funding for screening services including BreastCheck and CervicalCheck.
These Women’s Health funds aim to meet a series of goals throughout the next year, including the implementation of a national awareness campaign entitled, ‘Let’s talk about women’s health’ to provide a trusted source of information and help normalise discussions about women’s health. Their ‘Tell Me More…’ series aims to be the first in this campaign to address these issues. Thye also aim to increase supports in the areas of gynaecology, menopause, mental health and physical activity to promote a coherent, holistic approach to improving health outcomes and experiences for women and girls.
For more information or to sign up to the seminars, see here.
