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As national attention turns to menopause, experts say asthma must be part of the growing women’s health conversation.
The Federal Government’s landmark Women’s Health Package has placed women’s health firmly in the national spotlight, including significant investment in menopause care. Yet while menopause, reproductive health and hormonal wellbeing continues to grow, asthma experts warn the condition remains largely absent from the conversation despite affecting one in five adult Australian women (20.1%), with women accounting for 61% of all adults living with the condition.1
Today, Asthma Australia is changing that. She Needs to Breathe – Australia’s first national campaign dedicated to the connection between women’s hormones, life stages and asthma – launches as winter drives a seasonal spike in respiratory illness across the country, bringing renewed urgency to a health issue that has long been overlooked.
Fronting the campaign is former Australian Diamonds captain and broadcaster Liz Ellis, who says that despite living with asthma for most of her life, through elite sport, pregnancy, fertility treatment and menopause, nobody had ever explained how hormonal changes could influence her symptoms.
“I’m 53 years old, I’ve had asthma all my life, and no one had ever made that connection for me. As women, we’re becoming much more comfortable talking about hormones and menopause, which is fantastic. But asthma needs to be part of that conversation too,” Ellis said.
Women are hospitalised for asthma at significantly higher rates than men and are twice as likely to die from the condition. 4 After puberty, asthma becomes more common in females than males. 2 Rates remain elevated through women’s peak working and caregiving years and rise again in later life 2 – with women aged 55 – 64 experiencing asthma at substantially higher rates than men the same age.
This is because for many women, asthma does not stay the same throughout life. The condition is closely linked to hormonal change, shifting across puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause in ways most women, and many clinicians, do not recognise. Cold air and winter respiratory viruses further inflame sensitive airways, making winter one of the highest-risk periods for women living with asthma.
Asthma Australia CEO, Kate Miranda, said the consequences of unrecognized and managed asthma in women could be serious and urges women not to dismiss their symptoms.
“Asthma can range from a persistent cough or chest tightness to severe breathlessness and lifethreatening attacks and for women, hormonal changes across puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause can shift those symptoms in ways that catch them off guard,” Ms Miranda said.
“Women need to know that if their asthma feels different at different points in their life, there’s likely a reason and it’s worth having that conversation with their doctor. Poorly managed asthma has real consequences. We don’t want women to wait until they need urgent medical care.”
Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Women, The Hon. Rebecca White MP, said improving women’s health outcomes requires recognising the conditions that affect women throughout their lives.
“Women deserve health information that reflects the realities of their lives, including how their health can change during puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause,” Ms White said.
“Campaigns like She Needs to Breathe help raise awareness and encourage women to have conversations with health professionals that support better health outcomes.”
For Ellis, the campaign is ultimately about helping women connect the dots sooner.
“Women spend so much time looking after everyone else that we often forget to look after ourselves. Knowing there may be a connection between your hormones and your asthma gives you the information you need to have better conversations with your doctor. That’s why this campaign matters,” she said.
The She Needs to Breathe campaign provides information and resources to help women understand how asthma may change across puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause, and encourages women to speak with their healthcare professional if they notice changes in their symptoms.
For more information visit from 21 June: asthma.org.au/she-needs-to-breathe
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Tanya West, Paper and Spark
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Jennifer Wilson, Paper and Spark
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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.
References
1 Poulos LM, Ampon RD, Currow DC, Marks GB, Toelle BG and Reddel HK 2021. Prevalence and burden of breathlessness in Australian adults:
The National Breathlessness Survey – a cross-sectional web-based population survey, Respirology 26(8):768-75.
https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.14070
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Asthma [cited 2026 Feb 3]. www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-andrisks/asthma/latest-release
3 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 [cited 2026 Feb 4].
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burden-of-disease/australian-burden-of-disease-study-2024
4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Causes of Death, Australia, data cubes 2024 [cited 2025 Nov 14].
www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/2024
