Driving better sexual and reproductive health outcomes for women through primary care

We innovate strategies to ensure the Australian primary care workforce adequately addresses women's sexual and reproductive health needs, including trialling alternative service delivery methods to enhance accessibility, particularly in rural and regional areas.

Understanding the needs and preferences of women is important when co-designing interventions that can help women achieve their individual reproductive goals.

Health data sets are useful in gaining insights into the state of women's sexual and reproductive health in Australia and identifying gaps in health care provision.

Monash University recently hosted the Mental Health and Violence Against Women and Children Symposium, an event exploring the relationship between mental health and wellbeing and the perpetration and repercussions of violence against women and children.

The question of whether or not pharmacists should be able to provide the oral contraceptive pill without a prescription from a GP has long been a topic of debate. We asked five experts for their thoughts. Should pharmacists be able to provide the pill over the counter without a script?

Subsidising alternative, lower risk hormone therapies has eluded the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in the wake of shortages in hormone replacement therapy patches for years. Now, the first new PBS listing for menopausal hormone treatments in more than 20 years has been announced.

In early February, the federal government announced more than half a billion dollars in funding for women's health, including over $400 million in providing better and cheaper access to contraception and menopausal hormone therapy.

Ahead of the federal government’s response this week to a Senate inquiry into access to reproductive healthcare in Australia, the government has announced new measures to make it easier to get an intrauterine device, or IUD. Payments to doctors and nurse practitioners to insert and remove these devices will increase. 

Australian women are set to save hundreds of dollars on healthcare costs thanks to new subsidies on hormone therapy, contraceptive pills, and improved access to menopause support and assessment. On February 9, 2025, the Australian government announced a whopping $573 million funding package.