Shaping the Future of Women’s Health: A Candid Conversation with Maria Lennerås

-----------------------------------------

Before we dive into women’s health- can you give us a glimpse into your background?

At the age of 17, I landed a summer job at Ågrenska, a national competence center for children with rare health conditions and other disabilities. It helped me discover my passion for helping people to make the most out of their lives. It also directed me towards the field of life science and pharmaceutical studies.

I thereafter pursued a PhD in bio-materials research at the University of Gothenburg. The role immersed me in the fascinating world of cellular interactions with foreign materials in the human body. Some materials, like indwelling catheters, form biofilms that act as shields against antibiotics—a global health threat due to increasing antibiotic resistance.

Now, as a Medical Science Liaison at a medical device company, I bridge research and sales, communicating vital knowledge to nurses who directly impact patients.

Working with bladder and bowel dysfunction, which involves all age categories and both genders, why have you developed a special interest in women’s health?

My interest in women’s health stems from both personal and professional insights. Becoming and being a mother, I realized the complexities and lack of resources related to female health. 

Professionally, my focus on infection prevention opened my eyes to gender specific imbalances in some infections. As an example, women face a 3-4 times higher risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) compared to men. These infections impact quality of life and can be especially dangerous for individuals with spinal cord injuries. Through my work, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by teenage girls with spinal cord injuries, emphasizing the importance of addressing women’s health.

Becoming and being a mother, I realized the complexities and lack of resources related to female health

You have often talked about the stigma that surrounds women’s health? Can you elaborate on that and give some examples?

Certainly! The stigma surrounding women’s health has historically made it embarrassing to discuss incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction- which is crazy since it is so common. However, there is progress— at least in Sweden where celebrities now openly address these issues on television and podcasts. But large numbers of women remain reluctant to talk about these matters, even with people who are close to them, such as partners and husbands. So, there is still ample work to be done to encourage more open conversations and to overcome the stigma.

Large numbers of women remain reluctant to talk about these matters, even with people who are close to them, such as partners and husbands.

How do you evaluate the current research and healthcare on women’s health?

 Assessing current research and healthcare for women’s health reveals disparities in research focus. Diseases that exclusively affect women receive less attention. Take endometriosis, for instance—it is excruciating and impacts around 10% of reproductive-age women worldwide. To put it in perspective, that’s over 10 million women in the US alone. That’s almost akin to the entire Swedish population enduring prolonged severe pain without the necessary attention for change.

So, why is it like this, why are women under-represented?

 The under-representation of women in research is influenced by several factors. Firstly, women’s health is inherently more complex than men’s. Hormonal fluctuations in women can complicate research conclusions, necessitating larger sample sizes in clinical trials, which increases costs. Additionally, some studies exclude women due to potential mutagenic effects if they plan to have children later in life.

Another reason is that female-specific diseases often span extended periods, making it challenging to measure outcomes. Unlike life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, which yield clear drug effects, chronic issues like endometriosis or incontinence are harder to assess over time. Unfortunately, this disparity also reflects financial considerations.

What do we have to do to get to a point where men and women’s health is seen equally important?

 Again, awareness. I don’t think people are aware of how skewed it actually is. Men are typically over 70 years old when they start to experience incontinence issues. These issues also often appear in conjunction with enlarged prostate. Women on the other hand, may experience these problems as early as in their 40ies. A time during which many women are navigating through the most hectic period in life, juggling a career, children, social life and physical activities.

Women experience problems as early as in their 40ies. A time during which many women are navigating through the most hectic period in life, juggling a career, children, social life and physical activities.

Any advice you want to give to other women out there?  

Find the courage to speak to your girlfriends about the female health issues you are experiencing. You will quickly find out that many of those around you are dealing with similar issues. They may even have tips and tricks for you.

Incontinence should never be seen as a natural part of aging! When our vision and hearing worsen, we don’t just embrace it. We look for solutions.  There is help, also for incontinence issues. Don’t let anxiety and fear of leakage stop you from living an active life and engaging in social activities.

 For those who want to learn more about the topic, I can warmly recommend our Women’s Health course which is available on our free of charge educational platform. Amongst the resources, there is a webinar with Julia Herbert, a pelvic floor guru and physiotherapist from the UK who shares valuable expertise and advice that we can all incorporate and follow.

You will also find plenty of resources under our women's health page.