Men’s health was the focus of my editorial in last week’s Irish Country Living, the importance of men talking – to their GP, to their family, to each other.

Women, in general, are better at talking – but are they being listened to by those in power? You would question this when reading Rosalind Skillen’s piece on stress urinary incontinence (SUI) on page 12.

Let’s be honest, what woman truly feels comfortable talking about her bladder issues and the embarrassing situation of wetting herself? Yet it’s far more common than most people realise, nearly 50% of all women experience it at some stage in their life. This could be a little leakage occasionally when she laughs, or it could be wetting herself multiple times a day – affecting everything from what she wears, whether she exercises, or how much water she drinks. It can have a massive impact on quality of life.

The thing is, many women just get on with it. Talk about this with friends and you’ll find you’re not alone, and I’m sure women are reading this nodding their head. But mostly, it’s simply accepted that after childbirth things are just never the same.

While there are a number of options available to women, vaginal mesh surgery is considered by many health professionals to be one of the most effective solutions. However, there has been a pause on vaginal mesh surgery in Ireland since 2018. This followed reports from hundreds of women who experienced medical complications after the surgery. Margaret Byrne, featured in the article, says she no longer has control over her bladder due to the surgeries she has had to endure following her unsuccessful vaginal mesh surgery.

Given these reports, many would argue a pause was necessary. There is no way that women could continue to have a surgery that was having such a negative impact on their life. But here is the thing, it should have been just that – a pause. It is now seven years later and vaginal mesh surgery is still not available to Irish women through the HSE. However, in other countries, women are successfully getting this surgery. Una Ní Chormaic tells Irish Country Living how she had a very successful surgery in Spain in 2023, one she considers life-changing – but it cost her €15,000.

This is part of a bigger problem. A gender medical gap exists internationally

In 2023, the HSE established a group to review the recommendations of the 2018 report and to determine whether the pause should be lifted. That report is complete and has been with the Department of Health for over a year now. Yet every day, as women wait on the recommendations, they continue to wet themselves.

Let’s be clear, if the report recommends that mesh surgery is reintroduced in Ireland, it has to be of the highest standard. The Mesh Survivors Ireland group consists of 876 women who have had negative effects from this surgery – their experiences cannot be ignored. But women in other countries have found this surgery to be positively life changing. Irish women deserve this too. They deserve options.

This is part of a bigger problem. A gender medical gap exists internationally. Women live longer than men but, according to a 2024 report by the McKinsey Health Institute and the World Economic Forum, they spend 25% more of their lifetime in poor health. Part of that reason is that globally, there has been limited progress made in non-fatal conditions that impact women.

But it’s not just about living longer, it’s about living those years well.