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Women living with asthma are at Parliament House today, calling on the Federal Government to recognise asthma as a women’s health issue and build respiratory health into the health checks women already receive.
Women with lived experience of asthma from across Australia are meeting parliamentarians as part of Asthma Australia’s She Needs to Breathe campaign, putting a human face to calls for asthma to be explicitly recognised within women’s health policy.
Among them will be Fiona Morrison, who says her worsening breathlessness was attributed anxiety and getting older for years before her asthma was taken seriously. At a Parliament House event today, she is one of 20 women who want to share their stories with federal MPs and Senators of real symptoms, dismissed or misattributed for years before asthma was even considered.
“For years I was told it was ‘just anxiety’. It wasn’t until perimenopause, when I was offered antianxiety medication instead of an asthma management plan, that I realised my asthma was being dismissed. By the time someone took me seriously, I couldn’t walk 10 meters on the flat without being out of breath. Nobody should have to get that sick before someone believes them,” said Ms
Morrison.
Today’s event at Parliament House is part of She Needs to Breathe, Asthma Australia’s national campaign highlighting the disproportionate impact of asthma on women, including higher rates of asthma and more severe outcomes, and the often-overlooked connection between female hormones, inflammation and asthma.
Asthma Australia CEO Kate Miranda said women’s asthma needs greater recognition within the broader women’s health conversation.
“We know asthma disproportionately affects women, yet it remains largely absent from the women’s health conversation. We want respiratory health considered at the health touchpoints women are already attending, annual health checks, antenatal care and perimenopause and menopause consultations,” Ms Miranda said.
“We’re not asking for a new system or new appointments. We’re asking for opportunities to identify worsening asthma earlier and help prevent avoidable poor health outcomes.”
She Needs to Breathe ambassador Liz Ellis AO said greater awareness of the relationship between hormonal changes and asthma was critical.
“I’m 53, I’ve had asthma all my life, and no one ever connected changing symptoms to my hormones. Women are finally talking openly about hormones and menopause. Asthma needs to be part of that conversation too. No woman should have to be told it’s something else before someone takes her breathing seriously,” Ms Ellis said.
Asthma Australia is calling for:
- Respiratory health to be built into existing women’s health assessment pathways
- The Ministerial Expert Panel on Women’s Health to examine asthma as a distinct women’s
health issue - Asthma to be explicitly recognised within women’s health policy.
Today’s Parliament House event brings together Australians with lived experience of asthma, parliamentarians, campaign ambassador Liz Ellis AO and Asthma Australia, as part of a wider push to put asthma firmly on the women’s health agenda. Speakers included Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Women Hon Rebecca White MP, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, and Parliamentary Friends of Asthma Co-chairs, Dr Mike Freelander MP and Mr Tony Pasin MP.
ENDS
For more information
Contact: Tanya West E: [email protected] M: 0406 907 845
Key statistics
1 in 5 adult Australian women live with asthma. Women account for 61 per cent of adults with asthma. Women are twice as likely to die from asthma as men. Asthma is the leading cause of disease burden in girls under 15 years. Hormonal changes across puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause can affect asthma symptoms and control.
ABOUT
Asthma Australia
Asthma Australia is the nation’s peak body representing nearly 2.8 million Australians living with asthma. Our work is grounded in evidence and informed by the lived experience of people with asthma. Our programs reflect a commitment to outcomes-focused, equity-driven reform, integrating community insight and clinical expertise to strengthen person centred asthma care.
She Needs to Breathe
She Needs to Breathe is Australia’s first national campaign on women’s hormones and asthma, led by Asthma Australia with ambassador Liz Ellis AO. The campaign highlights the disproportionate impact of asthma on women and pushes for greater awareness, research and policy attention.
