Menopause? Government recognises “importance” and prepares new programmes

O Government today acknowledged “the importance of an adequate and integrated response to the needs associated with menopause” and revealed that “new national programmes for sexual and reproductive health including menopause are being developed.”.

In a written response sent to Lusa, the Ministry of Health clarified that “these programs aim to promote a healthy experience of sexuality and prevent diseases and disorders associated with this phase”.

The programs, which are being developed by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), also foresee “the development of information materials on premenopausal and postmenopausal patients”, covering “symptoms, pharmacological and non-pharmacological recommended and therapeutic practices appropriate to each person”.

“ These materials can also support health professionals, including those on the SNS 24 Line”, adds the Ministry of Health, in response to questions from the Lusa agency about the fact that associations and doctors criticize the lack of responses from the National Health Service (SNS) for women in menopause and perimenopausal.

According to the ministry, “this government recognizes the importance of an adequate and integrated response to the needs associated with menopause, a phase that has an impact on the health, quality of life and professional life of many women”.

“ Due to the cross-sectional nature of these matters, the ministry, in conjunction with the DGS, understands that the most effective response is not to multiply sector strategic instruments”, he explains.

The guardianship considers that the response should be integrated into “more comprehensive strategies and programmes that ensure the coherence of public policies and the continuity of care throughout life”.

As for the absence of a specific reference to menopause in the proposed law of the State Budget for 2027, denounced by associations, guardianship ensures that “it does not hinder the continuation of these works”.

“ The financing needs will be defined according to the measures that may be adopted,” he said.

The Ministry of Health ensures, on the other hand, that the National Health Service (SNS) has “care responses for women in menopause and perimenopausal, both in Primary Health Care and in hospital care”.

Contacted by Lusa, the executive director of the SNS responds the same, pointing out that in December 2025, more than 109,000 women with coding of complaints or symptoms associated with menopause were registered.

Also confronted with the criticisms of associations and physicians about the lack of SNS responses to women in perimenopausal and menopause, the SNS clarifies that in primary health care “evaluation, clinical follow-up and therapeutic guidance are ensured, as well as referral to specialized care, whenever necessary”.

At the hospital level, “there are specific references of menopause in some ULS [Local Health Unit]”.

There are also “identified referral circuits for Gynecology/Obstetrics, Endocrinology and Urology consultations, among others, in all ULS, for women coded with menopause symptoms”.

The executive director points out that “the follow-up of women in menopause and perimenopausal is integrated into the regular care activity of the SNS, not exclusively depending on the existence of consultations specifically dedicated to this area”.