Clodagh Finn: Free HRT is great — but what aren’t we being told?

As free HRT becomes a reality, it’s time to rethink menopause, medicalisation — and embrace the power of ageing

It is a blessed turn of events that this normal stage in a woman’s life has emerged from the shadows, but increased visibility has brought with it a tendency to equate menopause with disability and disease. Picture: Anna Watson/Alamy

The Government plan, even if delayed, to introduce free HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is a wonderful thing, but shouldn’t we also be talking about the downsides?

“What downsides?”, says you, who can now banish crushing fatigue, hot flushes, night sweats and a bewildering array of once-taboo menopausal symptoms with the slap of a patch to the thigh.