'I had to suffer, and that stops with me': New Cork clinic latest expansion for the Menopause Hub

Establishing Ireland's first dedicated menopause clinic in 2018, Loretta Dignam has spent the last five years tackling taboos through education, advocacy and healthcare

Loretta Dignam The Menopause Hub Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

On a mission to ensure no woman suffers in silence, founder and CEO of the Menopause Hub, Loretta Dignam has expanded her reach, bringing advocacy, education and client services to the company's new clinic in Ballincollig. 

A former senior employee working in marketing, Ms Dignam speaks candidly about her experience of menopause, one she is not afraid to admit she, herself was ill-equipped for. 

"I knew nothing," Ms Dignam tells the Irish Examiner. "I was 49 when it happened. It started with hot flushes - a common symptom - but progressed with broken sleep, migraines, UTIs, weight gain and dizziness. I wanted to tell somebody at work but felt like I couldn't." 

"Out of the more than 40 symptoms of menopause - and yes, there are that many, I had about 25."

At the time, nobody spoke about the taboo topic, especially in the workplace. Citing a large 2023 study by the company she would later establish, 87% of women still believed menopause was stigmatised, and with stigma, Ms Dignam says topics of importance can oftentimes be pushed to the side, leaving many to not only suffer in silence, but in ignorance. 

In her own experience, Ms Dignam says she lost eight years of optimal health as a result of menopause. "It stops with me," she affirms. "We are the last generation to put up with this, and nobody is going to suffer like that again." 

Leaving her established career, Ms Dignam founded Ireland's first dedicated Menopause clinic in 2018. Since then, its team of just two has expanded to 10 doctors and a further 10 administrative staff members, with ambitious expansion plans meaning Ms Dignam is constantly looking to increase her headcount. 

Hub expansion

Opening her first clinic in Dublin more than five years ago, the Menopause Hub now has two locations in the capital and in October, spread even further afield with the opening of its first clinic in Cork. 

"Dublin gets everything first but we always had our sights on the Munster area," Ms Dignam tells the Irish Examiner. "While we do have virtual consultations, we wanted to offer people the opportunity to sit face-to-face with a doctor, one we already have working in the Cork hub, and allow for enhanced access and locations for our patients."

In addition to providing healthcare, the Menopause Hub is also a centre for education and advocates for further menopause awareness to both employers and the Government. Both Ms Dignam and her team provide workshops for firms across Ireland, educating, raising awareness and making recommendations on how to make workplaces more inclusive for employees going through menopause. 

"Our workshops have proven to be incredibly successful," Ms Dignam recalls. "We have had so much interest and uptake in our services and have worked with several large companies including Lidl, Accenture, UCD, Aldi, Bank of Ireland, Pernod Ricard and more."

"Even the smallest changes can make such a massive difference," says Ms Dignam.

In addition to the vast majority of women feeling menopause is still stigmatised, additional research from the hub earlier this year found that 35% considered leaving their job due to menopause, with 80% wanting HR and managers trained in menopause awareness in the workplace. 

"Even the smallest changes can make such a massive difference," says Ms Dignam. "For example, putting a desk fan in an office workplace can help those experiencing hot flushes throughout the day."

As the hub founder explains, menopause awareness is mutually beneficial for both employers and employees, reducing absenteeism and increasing productivity, as well as ensuring happier workplaces and preventing legal and discrimination cases, an issue Ms Dignam says is becoming increasingly common in the UK. 

Looking forward, Ms Dignam says her new Cork clinic is the first expansion of many outside the capital, with ambitious plans for the future focusing her eyes on Limerick, Galway, Northern Ireland and even further afield. 

"For far too long, women have been consistently told to put up and shut up," says Ms Dignam. "That stops with this generation. Soon, there will be more than 1.1bn menopausal women on earth, how many of them will be left in the dark?" 

"Nobody should have to go through Menopause alone and no woman should suffer in silence."