This isn't just a menopause problem, or a women's health problem. It's a research problem, a funding problem, and an education problem, all compounding on each other — and every one of us who's lived through this transition without answers is evidence of exactly why it needs to change.

Our recent hike with Edel Conroy was exactly that kind of morning - a wonderful group of women gathering to walk, talk, breathe, laugh and simply be. No pressure, no performance, no agenda beyond making the time to show up for ourselves and each other.

The Balance Project is collaborating with RCSI —  your story could shape the future of menopause care in Ireland

A newly published scoping review in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health has laid bare what many women already know from lived experience: menopause care is still fragmented, inconsistent, underprioritised, and too often deeply unresponsive to women's needs.

When Women Speak, Medicine Listens

The Balance Project is collaborating with RCSI —  how your story could shape the future of menopause care in Ireland

A report titled "It’s More Than a Period: Menstrual Cycle Considerations in Female Athletes - A Coaches Perspective" offers an important reminder that feels highly relevant far beyond sport: girls need better support, better language, and better education around their menstrual cycle.

A growing body of Irish evidence is telling us something important: women in midlife are trying to navigate menopause while also managing everything else. That is exactly why the conversation around menopause needs to move beyond awareness alone and towards informed, practical, evidence-based support.

A recent survey carried out by Rhona Fleming of Kindle Health Coaching, a contributor to The Balance Project, explored the lived experiences of women navigating perimenopause and menopause. Its purpose was simple but important: to better understand women’s symptoms, struggles, support gaps, and what they truly need to feel seen, supported, and empowered.

A report titled "It’s More Than a Period: Menstrual Cycle Considerations in Female Athletes - A Coaches Perspective" offers an important reminder that feels highly relevant far beyond sport: girls need better support, better language, and better education around their menstrual cycle.

At The Balance Project, we have always believed in the power of education.

We believe that when women understand their bodies, their hormones, their health, and their experiences more clearly, they feel more confident, more informed, and more empowered to take care of themselves.

But over time, I have come to realise something else just as important:

Information matters. But connection matters too.

The study, “Prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms in peri and post-menopausal women”, explored symptom patterns among 308 women and adds something deeply valuable to the conversation around midlife women’s health: evidence. And not just general evidence, but Irish evidence - grounded in the experiences of women living here.
For us at The Balance Project, that matters.