14
-min read

History of women's health

Why women’s health is so under-funded and under-researched – history to the present day

Published on
22 Feb
2024

The conversation on women’s health has gained momentum in recent years, with the launch of prime-time TV shows about menopause and books on topics from pelvic health and postpartum mental health to menstruation and birthrights. So what’s all this talk about women’s health being underfunded and under-researched about?

A quick snapshot paints a pretty clear picture. Despite women making up the majority of chronic pain sufferers, doctors are more likely to refer us for talking therapy or prescribe sedatives or antidepressants instead of prescribing much-needed pain relief medication. Generally speaking, while women have a longer life expectancy than men, we spend a greater portion of our lives in poor health. As an illustrative example, in the UK it takes, on average, 7.5 years to get a diagnosis of endometriosis, a gynaecological condition affecting around 2-10% of women.

It’s clear that women’s health is lagging behind, but how did we get here?

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Final Thoughts

It would be easy to feel despondent about the state of affairs, but as we have seen, change is happening – it’s just a little slower than one might have hoped.

The public conversation on everything from miscarriage and menopause to periods and pelvic floors is growing louder by the day, and both policymakers and health experts are increasingly agreeing that the inclusion of women in clinical trials is not just fair, but absolutely crucial. Between conversations that break the stigma and medical researchers committed to change, there’s plenty of reason to think that the funding will follow, too.

As for what we as individuals can do, not everyone needs to get a megaphone. We do know that talking helps, though. For you, perhaps that’s as simple as speaking to your doctor about something you’re nervous about, or talking openly to your daughter, mother, friend or teacher about your periods or PMS. There is no effort that is too small, that won’t make a difference to someone, somewhere. Evelyn is committed to driving change in the PMS space and beyond, not just for the benefit of those who experience it, but for partners, friends, workplaces, families, and females everywhere. The more we move and shake this conversation up, the more likely it is to be heard, to change, to deliver the solutions every AFABI needs. Every moment of stigma-busting brings us one step closer to a culture where hysteria is a thing of the past and funding women’s health initiatives is a given – for the good of all of us.

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