Undervalued

Undervalued, Undertreated, Under-Studied… Are We Understood?

The Undervaluing of Women’s Healthcare

The undervaluing of women’s healthcare refers to a systemic lack of financial, physical and emotional investment in women’s health issues. Women are under-represented in clinical trials, research into women’s issues is underfunded, many women’s health concerns unrelated to childbirth (like menopause or endometriosis) are under-taught, under-studied and, thus, poorly treated. Women’s specialists and procedures are underpaid, and women’s pain systematically goes unbelieved or ignored.

Investment in women’s healthcare suffer from a “bikini-only” approach, wherein the focus is typically on breast cancer and conditions of the reproductive organs to the exclusion of everything else—as if women had no other body parts. In reality, only 5% of women’s health burden stems from maternal and gynecological issues; the rest is related to conditions both men and women experience, like heart disease.

Women also endure half their health burden in their working years—ages 15 to 50—thus impacting their abilities to earn money and support their families. There are also the years women are caregiving for children and elders alike.

Tiny Pot

Karli Fairbanks

Women are more than the total of their sex parts. They are whole bodies and whole people, bringing value and service to their families and communities. Why aren’t they valued or served in return?

18 ways women are undervalued & undertreated

  • Women's pain goes unbelieved

    Leading to delays in diagnosis, inadequate pain management, worsening symptoms, and deteriorating quality of life.

  • Women with symptoms of disease

    Are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with mental illness instead.

  • Women in the ER reporting acute pain

    Are less likely to be given opioid painkillers than men. And after they’re prescribed, women wait longer to receive them.

  • Women's procedures are undervalued

    Leading to decreased interactions between women and providers, which especially causes poorer pregnancy outcomes and higher maternal mortality.

  • Vulvar biopsies are reimbursed

    At the lowest rates of all special site biopsies, including half the rate of penile biopsies.

  • In most states, Medicaid reimbursement for full obstetrics

    Prenatal visits, delivery, and follow-up care—is less than the actual cost of prenatal care alone.

  • Women's health issues are under-treated

    Leading women to give up on the medical system and suffer needlessly, thus reducing quality of life.

  • Women are 7x more likely than men...

    …To be misdiagnosed and discharged in the middle of having a heart attack.

  • Due to the normalization and dismissal of pelvic pain...

    …6 in 10 women with endometriosis are never diagnosed.

  • Women's health issues are under-taught

    Leading to beliefs that conditions like menopause and pelvic pain should be tolerated rather than treated.

  • Only 1 in 5 OB/GYN residents

    Receives any menopause training, a condition that impacts nearly all women.

  • There are 27 fellowships focusing on men's sexual health

    and one for women, in urology training.

  • Research into women's health is underfunded

    Leading to a one-size-fits-all medical approach that doesn’t recognize gender-specific symptoms or provide access to appropriate treatment.

  • There is 5x more research into erectile dysfunction

    Affecting 19% of men, than into premenstrual syndrome, affecting 90% of women.

  • Women have 33% more doctor visits than men

    And only 4% of medical research goes into female health conditions.

  • Women are underrepresented in clinical trials

    Leading to women experiencing adverse affects from medication 2x more than men, or not receiving any medication at all.

  • Male animals outnumber female animals

    5 to 1 in pharmacological studies and nearly 4 to 1 in physiological studies.

  • Clinical trials weren't required to include women

    Prior to 1933. Today, female inclusion is just 41%.

Women Are

51% of the population

47% of the workforce

75% of unpaid caregivers

the Glue

holding families and economies together

Undervalued News, Studies & Stats

  • Why we know so little about women’s health

    aamc.org - March 26, 2024

    The article discusses how the medical field has historically neglected women’s health, largely due to gender biases that consider men’s bodies as the standard. Women were rarely included in clinical trials before 1993, and many studies still underrepresent them. This lack of representation in research has led to gaps in understanding how diseases affect women, and how treatments, medications, and devices work for them.

    As a result, women, especially women of color, experience disparities in healthcare and higher rates of adverse reactions to medical treatments. The article highlights that more inclusive research is needed to address these disparities and improve healthcare outcomes for women.

  • Significant Lack of Data and Research on Chronic Conditions Affecting Women Is Hindering Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

    nationalacadamies.org - July 10, 2024

    The article from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reports on significant gaps in research regarding chronic conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as endometriosis, migraines, and pelvic floor disorders. These conditions often go under-researched, which hinders accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

    The report emphasizes the need for enhanced research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address these gaps, especially in understanding the biological mechanisms and the impact of reproductive milestones on chronic conditions. It also highlights the need for improved diagnostic tools, better research on multiple chronic conditions, and a deeper exploration of lifestyle factors and disparities in healthcare. The report calls for a shift towards more gender-centered research to better support women’s health and reduce inequalities.

  • Women’s Health Is Chronically Understudied, but These Engineers Are Charging Forward

    bu.edu - November 4, 2024

    Multiple birth control options, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing & counseling, STD testing, and abortions. The article discusses the pioneering research being conducted by Catherine M. Klapperich and Joyce Y. Wong, two Boston University engineers focused on reproductive health issues.

    They are addressing the chronic underfunding and lack of research into women’s health, especially concerning conditions like uterine fibroids, hormone changes, and preeclampsia. Their work aims to create models and improve understanding at the cellular level to help diagnose and treat these conditions more effectively. They are also building a biobank of fibroid cells, which will be a key resource for further studies on these health issues.

NOTES

1  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/magazine/menopause-hot-flashes-hormone-therapy.html

2  https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/magazine/menopause-hot-flashes-hormone-therapy.html

3  https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/13/the-female-problem-male-bias-in-medical-trials

4  https://www.glamour.com/story/its-time-to-stop-ignoring-menopausal-women

5  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01099-6/fulltext

6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKCpmz6Eccg&t=1s

7  https://www.reddit.com/r/AskWomen/comments/elw6vb/what_woulddo_you_wish_you_were_told_about/

8  https://www.reddit.com/r/AskWomen/comments/elw6vb/what_woulddo_you_wish_you_were_told_about/

9  https://www.themenopausecharity.org/2023/06/09/nickis-story/

10  https://www.themenopausecharity.org/2021/06/12/my-premature-menopause-aged-14/

11  https://healthlaw.org/reproductive-health-care-pain-points-raising-the-standard-of-care-for-managing-pain-from-iud-insertion-and-removal/

12  https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03287-0

13  https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr062.pdf

14  ClinicalTrials.gov

15  https://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/contraception-access-care-disparities-bias

16  https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03287-0

17  https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31397/w31397.pdf

18  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-women-and-men-need-better-birth-control/

19  https://around.uoregon.edu/content/professors-book-examines-bias-dissatisfaction-birth-control

20  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/03/500549503/male-birth-control-study-killed-after-men-complain-about-side-effects

21  https://www.byrdie.com/birth-control-stories

22  https://nwlc.org/in-control-our-stories-our-lives-our-birth-control/

23  https://nwlc.org/in-control-our-stories-our-lives-our-birth-control/

24  https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/iud-design-history-contraception

25  https://onezero.medium.com/femtech-could-be-the-solution-to-medicines-male-bias-37aab5ffd1ed

26  https://onezero.medium.com/femtech-could-be-the-solution-to-medicines-male-bias-37aab5ffd1ed

27  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/health/pelvic-medical-exam-unconscious.html

28  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9622698/

29  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-is-womens-sexual-health-so-understudied

30  https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/dec/18/women-have-been-woefully-neglected-does-medical-science-have-a-gender-problem

31  https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-01475-2/index.html

32  https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/why-no-one-can-design-a-better-speculum/382534/

33  https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/why-no-one-can-design-a-better-speculum/382534/

34  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-is-womens-sexual-health-so-understudied

35  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/health/clitoris-sex-doctors-surgery.html

36  https://witanddelight.com/2021/07/the-powerful-act-of-sharing-our-stories-about-womens-health/

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