Free online course on management of Menopause by Irish College of General Practitioners goes live on International Women’s Day (8th March 2023). Available for allied health professionals, including GPs, midwives, pharmacists and nurses.

The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) is the professional body for general practice in Ireland. The ICGP is the representative organisation for education, training and standards in general practice with 4,200 members, comprising over 85% of practising GPs in Ireland, and over 900 trainees in supervised practice. To mark International Women’s Day (8th March), the College’s new online course in the management of Menopause is going live and available free for all allied health professionals.

The course comprises a range of modules on the diagnosis and management of the menopause, including menopause consultation in general practice, lifestyle advice, bone health, prescribing HRT, alternatives to HRT, genitourinary syndrome of the menopause and testosterone replacement therapy.

The ICGP/HSE Clinical Lead for Women’s Health, Dr Ciara McCarthy, said: “Menopause is a major life event affecting all women in a variety of ways, with up to 80% of women experiencing physical and/or emotional symptoms during that time. With the growing awareness and discussion of this life event, we believe this course will be a valuable resource for a huge range of health professionals, from hospital-based doctors to community-based teams, pharmacists and midwives, for example.”

The ICGP’s Director of Women’s Health, Dr Nóirín O’Herlihy, said: “Over 90% of the management of menopause is delivered in general practice, with a very small number of women requiring specialist care. This course gives a solid grounding in learning about the menopause, from symptoms to lifestyle, and prescribing HRT.”

Dr. O’Herlihy added :”Women have a special relationship with their GP throughout their lives, and we believe that women recognise their GP as a trusted source of health information.”

“We wish to see the development of a structured life-course approach to Women’s Health in General Practice, and recognise the work of the Women’s Health Task Force and investment in resources for women’s health.”

Health professionals who wish to access the free online course can find it here

Menopause – ICGP Web Site

This education was developed with funding support from the Women’s Health TaskForce in the Department of Health and the National Women and Infants Programme.

A separate video series for the general public about the menopause by the ICGP’s Dr Ciara McCarthy and Dr Nóirín O’Herlihy is available at https://www.icgpnews.ie/menopause-patient-information/