Investing in women's health is not just a matter of fairness—it is a critical driver of societal and economic wellbeing. Research has consistently shown that when women’s health needs are met, societies prosper. At this week’s Senate Inquiry into Issues Related to Perimenopause and Menopause, policymakers were asked not to shy away from addressing the most debilitating symptoms of menopause amidst growing public awareness of its impact on women’s lives.  

Representing the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) at the Inquiry hearing in Melbourne this week, leading women’s pelvic health physiotherapist Catherine Willis said it was time to the end the silence surrounding the significant physiological symptoms impacting quality of life for menopausal women.

‘The public discourse continues to largely focus on symptoms of a less personal nature – such as brain fog, hot flashes and mood swings,’ Ms Willis said.

‘It’s imperative we don’t shy away from addressing the debilitating pelvic and musculoskeletal impacts… leading to changes to the vulva, urethra, bladder and vagina.’  

Ms Willis told the Inquiry that many women faced these physiological changes–resulting in pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and muscle and joint pains–without access to prevention, early intervention and credible, evidence-based care, such as physiotherapy.

‘Physiotherapy is a first-line therapy to prevent, diagnose and treat symptoms and conditions associated with menopause such as urinary incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain and muscle and joint pains,’ she said.

Just as there is no one-size-fits-all approach to caring for individual women, there are of number of models of care that could be considered to fund access to care.  

‘Regardless of funding approach, the focus should be on delivering health outcomes and affordable patient pathways in primary health,’ Ms Willis said.

“There is an absence of women’s health specific Medicare funding and local area provision of both individualised and group physiotherapy consultations, to deliver the right care at the right time for women,” Ms Willis said.

Ms Willis said financial and geographic barriers to care must be removed and the introduction of a menopause treatment item number, expansion of a network of women’s health clinics and local area programs could all be in the mix of solutions.

‘It is critical that women have access to an optimal patient pathway, that is, an expert multidisciplinary care team, to address the broad range of symptoms they may experience.

‘We need greater integration of physiotherapists into primary healthcare working to their full scope of practice with opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration,’ Ms Willis said.