Older women are furious after being excluded from a major government survey about reproductive health.
The Department of Health announced on Thursday a ‘landmark’ online questionnaire covering every aspect of reproductive health from periods and contraception to pregnancy and the menopause.
Ministers said they wanted to hear about the experiences of women across England, including the challenges of going through the menopause at work, to shape future policy.
But details of the survey revealed it is only open to women aged between the ages of 16 and 55.
The backlash was led by broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, 60, co-author of a book on the menopause, who wrote online: ‘This is so wrong, discriminatory and ill judged.
Norwegian-Scottish journalist and presenter Mariella Frostrup (pictured) led the backlash against the decision
‘Our health has been sidelined for centuries and now we’re meant to be grateful that up to 55 we are of medical interest?’
She added that women who have been through the menopause ‘continue to suffer the impact of post reproductive issues and hormonal deprivation’ and so ‘dismissing their experience is discriminatory’.
The Women’s Rights Network campaign group called on health ministers to address the oversight.
It said: ‘Potentially useful survey – but doesn’t want the views of women over 55.
‘All that experience of reproductive health is apparently not important or needed at all – even in respect of menopause. Utterly bizarre.’
Announcing the survey, Health Minister Maria Caulfield, 50, had said: ‘Women and girls deserve the best healthcare at every stage of their lives, but we simply can’t deliver that without listening to their lived experiences and concern.
‘Women should always have a say in their own healthcare, whether that’s in managing pregnancy and fertility or dealing with the challenges of the menopause in the workplace.
Women’s Health Ambassador Professor Dame Lesley Regan (pictured) said: ‘There’s no point bolstering services if they can’t be accessed, or the support available doesn’t work for them and meet their needs’
‘I would encourage every woman to complete the survey on reproductive health as soon as they’re able and ensure their voice is heard.’
Women’s Health Ambassador Professor Dame Lesley Regan – who at 67 would not be eligible to take part in the research – added: ‘We need to make healthcare work for women and girls – and for it to fit around their lives.
‘There’s no point bolstering services if they can’t be accessed, or the support available doesn’t work for them and meet their needs.
‘That’s why we’re asking women and girls to share their experience, whether it’s about periods, menopause or endometriosis. We need your voice to shape a new system of healthcare that gives women what they need.’