In the U.S., women were finally included in clinical trials starting in 1993 leaving a massive gap in knowledge and data. Women’s health is often synonymous with reproductive health, but that is part of the problem. Women’s bodies are more than their reproductive organs.
This disparity has real consequences: women are three times more likely to get migraines, twice as likely to experience depression, face up to seven times higher rates of heart condition misdiagnoses, and are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Women suffer 80% of all autoimmune diseases and 80% of all osteoporosis cases. Women experience disease differently and disproportionately, and we do not yet know why.
But change is coming. Women now comprise 54% of medical school students, up from 30% in the 1980s.
Breakthrough innovations are emerging globally: this year a Mexican scientist successfully eradicated HPV in 29 women, Australian researchers are preparing to launch the world’s first blood test for endometriosis, portable ultrasound machines with diagnostic capabilities aided by AI are being tested in Kenya and South Africa, and advances in AI-enabled imaging techniques are leading to earlier detection and diagnosis of osteoporosis.
As we invest more, we also have to keep equity at our core to ensure health disparities are not widened, particularly for women of color and those in underserved communities.
If we truly invest in women’s health, the economic opportunity is massive – $25 billion annually could be captured by closing maternal equity gaps alone.
It is estimated that for every $1 you invest in women’s health, it leads to a $3 return for society. Good for the economy, good for society, the opportunity in women’s health is tremendous.
The path forward requires buy-in across all industry stakeholders, including increased funding into research and innovation, more equitable reimbursement policies, more diverse clinical trials, integrated medical education, and raising more public awareness.
Better health for all women, not just those who can afford it. Women’s health isn’t just a medical issue – it is an economic and societal imperative.
Women globally need us to act now. What are we waiting for?
Continue the conversation, ECHAlliance The Global Health Connector and the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) will co-host a program: “Transforming Women’s Health through Science and Sustainable Partnerships” during the Science Summit United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) this fall. This program is taking place in New York Cit in person and virtual on 22 September.
