Broadening the Definition of 'Women's Health'

Blog Post Author: Reza Ghasemi

As per a Nature editorial published on 04 August 2021 (cited below):

It's time to expand the definition of 'women's health'.

Uterine leiomyomas or fibroids are benign tumors which afflicted more than 13% of the world’s population. Pain, gross bleeding and decreased fertility are the most common potential consequences of uterine leiomyomas. Leiomyomas can be devastating, and are "a frequent reason for surgical removal of the uterus." (Nature, 2021)

Interestingly, leiomyomas have not received much attention from researchers. "The main cause of this condition and how to reduce chance of infertility have been a matter of debate for many years, leaving physicians hesitant how best to cure patients" (Nature, 2021).

Unfortunately, leiomyomas are just one of several understudied aspects of health in female individuals. Clinical and pre-clinical projects similarly tend to investigate men: "only 33% of participants in cardiovascular clinical trials are women, 40% of neuroscience studies published in six journals in 2014 used only male animals" (Nature, 2021).

These, and other common conditions which are understudied in females, make diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in female patients complicated.

Source:

1. It’s time to expand the definition of ‘women’s health’. (2021). Nature, 596(7870), 7-7. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02085-6

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