Menopause stays outside the OE2027 and government critical association

A Portuguese Menopause Association today criticized the disappearance of public policies for menopause from the state budget proposal (OE) for 2027 of the government, criticizing the “gross way of abandoning three million women”.

“ It is a gross way of abandoning three million women who have no way of controlling their well-being, health and capacity. The effects of menopause affect up to 85% of women – this is scientifically determined. And these have no protection from the State and, for the second time, the State denies them this possibility ", stressed, in statements to Lusa, Cristina Mesquita de Oliveira, president of Vidas – Associação Portuguesa de Menopausa.

In 2021, when the association was created, “purely and simply there was no state document, no bill, no decree of law, no motion for a resolution” on menopause and perimenopausal, but the “total void” ended the law that approved the OE for 2025, he explained.

The document provided for “menopausal consultations in health centers, participation of all prescribed medicines and vulvar moisturizers and non-hormonal vaginals”.

The same happened in the OE for 2026 but, alerted the person responsible, nothing was done.

“The government has committed it. The government went into breach of the law and was already the current government ", lamented.

The president said that, in early 2026, the association promoted an international event on Menopause and Human Rights, “where the Government, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, three former Health Ministers and the representative of the current Health Minister” and all agreed that “it is important that menopause be welcomed in public policies.”.

“ Still, we arrived at the moment when the Government presents the OE for 2027, and nothing happened ", said Cristina Mesquita de Oliveira.

Although the measures entered in the OEs of 2025 and 2026 have not been implemented in practice, the President prefers them to be part of the law.

“ That is why we have made a pilgrimage to all parties with parliamentary seats to make known what they would propose in the absence of menopause policies in the OE of 2027. And on what measures would be available to propose, in order to pressure the government to include in the OE such menopause measures ", justified.

Result: “We have not yet received an answer,” he stressed, admitting that the deadline for the OE debate is still “during”.

“ We are the only entity that advocates that all women should have access to menopause policies, consultations, medicines with participants and information in order to be able to decide. There is no other institutional organization, another organization in Portugal that does so. Therefore, it is very important that, for the OE of 2027, they can pass the measures that have already been contemplated in the previous two ", observed.

In contact with women in perimenopausal and menopause, the association found that they ask mainly why “there are no menopause consultations in the National Health System [SNS] and why drugs are not shared, as other medicines for other issues”.

Another concern of the Association is “the total absence of the State to regulate safe and recognisable information that women can access in order to feel some security in the decisions they have to make regarding their health and menopause.”.

The government delivered at the beginning of the month the OE proposal for 2027 in the Assembly of the Republic, with the overall final vote scheduled for November 24.