Sexual and reproductive health
Sexual and reproductive health is critical for women and gender diverse people and can have a significant impact on a person’s physical and mental health, as well as their emotional and social wellbeing. It’s about much more than the absence of disease – it’s about wellbeing, respect and freedom from discrimination and violence. It requires access to accurate, evidence- and rights-based information and safe, effective, timely and affordable healthcare.
Sexual and reproductive health is both affected by, and contributes to, gender inequality and so demands health promotion strategies that address this inequality. Expanding and protecting women’s autonomy, control and choice over their sexual and reproductive health is a key component of advancing gender equity.
What we are doing
Women’s Health East leads the Sexual and Reproductive Health in Melbourne’s East (SRHME) partnership. This regional network of health services, community organisations and local agencies collaborates to improve sexual and reproductive health across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Members share knowledge, coordinate services and identify gaps in care so that people in the region can access the information and healthcare they need. The partnership focuses on improving access to services such as contraception, pregnancy care, abortion services, cervical screening and sexual health support and its work helps strengthen referral pathways, build the skills of the health workforce, and advocate for better services across the region.
Our work
Driving leadership and collaboration for women’s sexual and reproductive health
We lead Sexual and Reproductive Health in Melbourne’s East (SRHME) – a regional partnership dedicated to improving sexual and reproductive health for women across Melbourne’s east.
By bringing together health services, councils, universities and community organisations, we coordinate action to improve access to care, reduce inequities and create better health outcomes for women.
Our work is guided by A Strategy for Equality: Sexual and Reproductive Health in Melbourne’s East 2026–2031, a shared plan for achieving lasting change across the region.
Community health education
Every woman deserves access to clear, trusted health information. We work with communities across Melbourne’s east to deliver practical education on topics such as menopause, cancer prevention and screening, and local women’s health services.
By making sexual and reproductive health information accessible and relevant, we help women make informed decisions and improve their health and wellbeing and, in 2025–26 alone, reached more than 250 women through our programs.
Building workforce capacity
We support health professionals across Melbourne’s east to build skills and confidence in sexual and reproductive health through training, workshops and shared learning opportunities. Topics include effective communication, reducing barriers to care and supporting women to access the services they need.
We also keep the sector connected through a regular newsletter featuring news, resources, events and emerging issues in sexual and reproductive health.
Improving accessibility
Women need clear information and services that are accessible, culturally safe and easy to navigate. We work with EACH – the SRH Hub in the eastern region – to improve accessibility and promote their services to local diverse communities.
We help women connect with trusted information and local care through culturally relevant resources, community outreach and service promotion such as our in-language campaign to raise awareness of women’s health, including menstruation and menopause, amongst Hakha Chin women.
We actively promote 1800 My Options across the region, encouraging practitioners to refer community to the resource, and list their services on the resource.