Women's Health Takes the Stage

By Billy Oglesby, PhD, MBA, FACHE

Women’s Health Takes the Stage

The start of National Women’s Health Week (NWHW) is always set to coincide with Mother’s Day, and this year is no exception.  Led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH), the observance (May 12th-May 18th) will highlight health issues that are unique to women, and encourage women of all ages to prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.  

Why is this important? 

This is a critical time in our country. The attack on reproductive health in particular, has a deleterious impact on women in many states. This is emphasized in a recent White House proclamation for NWHW. The legislative repercussions potentially affect women throughout the life cycle. As someone who previously worked within Title X Family Planning programs, I feel strongly that women’s preventive health programs are necessary and are invaluable in healthcare overall.

Today, women and girls comprise a little more than half of the U.S. population. Yet, despite all the advances in health care over the past few decades, serious gender discrepancies persist in terms of health status and healthcare delivery. In particular, the scarcity of clinical research into conditions that are either unique to women (e.g., menstruation, maternal health), or that manifest differently in women (e.g., heart disease) than in men, often leads to disparities in diagnosis and treatment and, ultimately, to preventable serious health issues.  Consider just the following examples:

• Although women are more likely to experience chronic pain than men, they are less likely to receive treatment.  The evidence shows that while 70% of those affected by chronic pain are women, 80% of pain research has been conducted on males. 
• Although heart attack rates are similar for women and men, women are more likely to die as a result. Research shows that women are seven times more likely to be wrongly sent home from the emergency department in the middle of a heart attack because clinicians misunderstand women’s symptoms or do not apply new research knowledge showing the differences in women’s symptoms compared to men.

This year’s NWHW – “Empowering Women, Cultivating Health: Celebrating Voices, Wellness and Resilience” - calls on women to take charge of their health and fosters supportive environments wherein women can feel safe and comfortable speaking about their health needs and concerns.  Messaging encourages women to engage in healthy behaviors, access preventive care, and share their health experiences to inspire others.   Each day of NWHW focuses on a specific women’s health topic and provides resources for sharing information with others.  Daily topics include: safe sexual health, maternal mental health during and after pregnancy, understanding the accessibility and power of routine preventive care, and reproductive health from puberty to menopause.   

Gender bias creates barriers to communication, and Empowering Women on Their Health Journey addresses the issue directly.  The “challenge of being heard” describes all too common experiences of women seeking health care services.  Women’s symptoms and concerns often go “unheard”, leading to poor health outcomes such as:  delayed diagnosis, undertreated pain, mental health misperceptions, inadequate treatment due to racial bias, and delayed diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health concerns and autoimmune disease (more common in women).  NWHW provides helpful advice:

• Making oneself heard (e.g., making a list before visiting a healthcare provider, asking for clarification from a provider if unsure, obtaining a second opinion).
• Finding credible information with the help of a trusted provider.
• Knowing and sharing information via OWH’s “Your Health, Your Way” Fact Sheet, a tool designed to empower women with the necessary knowledge and confidence to navigate health care appointments and ensure being heard. 

NWHW wraps up with Women and Heart Health and its compelling perspective on why women’s heart health needs differ from men’s.  Pregnancy’s profound impact on the body can reveal or exacerbate existing heart conditions, increase the risk of developing new ones (e.g., hypertension, gestational diabetes, eclampsia) that may have long-term effects on heart health. Pregnancy, especially high-risk pregnancies in certain areas of the U.S., place women in difficult and dangerous situations for decision-making and access to appropriate care. 

Chronic stress, a “silent threat” for women who juggle multiple roles, can lead to cardiovascular disease.  Hormonal changes throughout a woman’s life can affect heart health; for example, the drop in estrogen levels during menopause can increase the risk of developing heart disease.

Awareness is critically important for women’s health, and NWHW is spreading the word, sharing resources, and encouraging women to take action for their heart health. 

Billy Oglesby, PhD, MBA, FACHE is the Humana Dean of Jefferson College of Population Health.