What the Sport Ireland Menopause Findings Tell Us About Women's Real Needs
Why the Sport Ireland menopause findings matter for women - and for better support
A growing body of Irish evidence is telling us something important: women in midlife are trying to navigate menopause while also managing work, family, fatigue, changing bodies, and significant pressure on their time.
That is exactly why the conversation around menopause needs to move beyond awareness alone and towards informed, practical, evidence-based support.
Recent Sport Ireland findings, alongside Irish research into menopause and physical activity, reinforce something The Balance Project sees clearly: women do not need more noise or vague encouragement. They need credible guidance, better understanding, and support that reflects the reality of this life stage.
What the Sport Ireland findings tell us
Sport Ireland reported that 49% of Irish women over 40 do not prioritise physical exercise, and only 28% believe they are meeting World Health Organisation physical activity guidelines. The most common barriers were also telling: 64% said they were too tired, 41% cited lack of time, 36% preferred to do other things, and 31% reported injury or disability.
These numbers matter because they reflect the real context in which many women are experiencing perimenopause and menopause. This is not simply a question of motivation or willpower. Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s are often balancing employment, commuting, caregiving, family responsibilities, and household demands, all while managing symptoms that can affect sleep, energy, mood, concentration, and confidence.
Sport Ireland also explicitly acknowledged that menopause can add further uncertainty, with symptoms such as poor sleep, fatigue, headaches, and weight changes making it even harder for women to feel in control of their wellbeing.
The wider Irish research strengthens the picture
Irish research on the menopause transition and physical activity adds even more depth to this. One study noted that 61% of midlife women were not meeting physical activity guidelines, and referenced earlier Irish findings that 67% of women said menopausal symptoms regularly interfered with daily activities.
That same research highlights something especially important: menopause symptoms can act as both a motivator and a barrier to physical activity. Some women want to move because they know it may support their long-term physical and psychological health. But at the same time, symptoms, exhaustion, and lack of education around menopause can make activity feel harder to start or sustain. The research also points to a lack of education and awareness as part of the barrier itself.
That is a crucial point.
If women are being told that movement helps, but are not being given the education, context, tools, and self-understanding to work with their symptoms realistically, then advice can easily become one more source of frustration rather than support.
Why this matters so much
These findings support a more honest and compassionate understanding of menopause.
They tell us that midlife women are not failing.
They are navigating a complex physiological transition within already demanding lives.
They tell us that tiredness is not trivial. Time pressure is not imagined. Symptoms are not insignificant. And support cannot be reduced to a one-line recommendation to "exercise more" or "take better care of yourself."
What women need is a more intelligent model of support - one that combines science, clinical insight, practical strategies, and space for reflection.
How this supports The Balance Project's Menopause Intelligence offerings
At The Balance Project, this is exactly why our Menopause Intelligence workshops and retreats matter.
Our work is built on the belief that women deserve more than fragmented advice. They deserve to understand what is happening in their bodies and minds, how menopause may be influencing energy, sleep, mood, recovery, cognition, and confidence, and what evidence-based strategies can genuinely help.
The Sport Ireland findings support that approach in several ways.
First, they confirm that many women over 40 are struggling to prioritise movement, not because they do not care about their health, but because they are tired, stretched, and often managing multiple demands at once.
Second, they reinforce the importance of practical, realistic education. Women need support that meets them where they are, not where a generic health message assumes they should be.
Third, the wider Irish research shows that lack of menopause education is itself part of the problem. When women better understand their symptoms and their changing needs, they are better able to make choices that feel supportive rather than punishing.
This is what Menopause Intelligence is about.
It is about replacing confusion with clarity.
It is about translating evidence into something women can actually use in real life.
And it is about supporting women in a way that is clinically informed, compassionate, and grounded in the realities of midlife.
Why workshops and retreats both matter
Education is powerful, but information alone is not always enough.
Our Menopause Intelligence workshops give women the opportunity to understand the science of this transition in a clinically led and evidence-based way. They help women make sense of symptoms, ask better questions, and feel more informed in their choices.
Our retreat offerings create a different but equally important space: one that allows women to step out of the pressure of daily life and reconnect with themselves through rest, reflection, expert insight, and supportive conversation.
That matters because the Sport Ireland findings make it clear that many women are trying to manage this phase while chronically low on time and energy. In that context, spaces that restore understanding and capacity are not indulgent. They are deeply supportive.
A better way forward
The message from this Irish evidence is clear.
Women need better menopause support that is rooted in the realities of their lives.
They need practical, science-backed education.
They need a more compassionate and informed conversation about physical activity, energy, wellbeing, and self-care in midlife.
And they need support that recognises menopause not as a niche issue, but as a major phase of life that can shape health, confidence, and quality of life in profound ways.
At The Balance Project, our Menopause Intelligence workshops and retreats are designed to meet that need - by bringing together clinical knowledge, evidence-based guidance, and a whole-person approach to support.
Because when women understand what is happening, they are better placed to respond with confidence, self-trust, and care.
Mastering The Transition
Hormone Health, Perimenopause & Menopause Exclusive One-Day Workshop
12th September 2026 | Leinster Hotel, Dublin 2.
For women who want to understand their changing hormones, restore energy, and move through this next chapter with confidence.