International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate progress. But it is also a chance to look honestly at the gaps that still exist in healthcare. One of the biggest is how little we still know about women’s health.
Recent data highlights the scale of the issue. A review of more than 4,600 clinical trials by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the University of Liverpool found there were 67% more male-only studies than female-only studies. While many trials include both sexes, only a small percentage focus specifically on women. Not to mention, studies involving pregnant or breastfeeding women are even rarer.
Dr Rupa Parmar, GP and Medical Director of Midland Health, commented: “For decades, medical research has largely focused on men. In fact, until the early 1990s, women were rarely included in many clinical trials. Even today, we do not fully understand how many medicines and treatments work specifically for women.
“But women’s bodies should not be treated as smaller versions of men’s bodies. After all, hormones, metabolism and biology can all affect how diseases appear and how treatments work. When research is based mainly on male participants, it can leave doctors with less evidence on how to diagnose or treat women properly.
“This lack of research can have real consequences. If medicines are tested mostly on men, doctors may not have enough information about the correct doses, side effects or even the effectiveness for women. Plus, some studies suggest women are more likely to experience adverse drug reactions, partly because of this gap in research.
“In the past, researchers have excluded women because of concerns about pregnancy or hormonal changes affecting study results. But these concerns should not be a reason to leave women out of research entirely. Instead, they highlight why better and more inclusive studies are needed.
“Improving women’s health research benefits everyone. After all, better research leads to better care. When studies include more diverse participants, the evidence becomes stronger and treatments become safer and more effective. It also helps ensure conditions that mainly affect women receive the attention they deserve.
“Women’s health needs to be treated as a priority. This means supporting research that reflects real populations and ensuring women are properly represented in clinical studies. It also means listening carefully to women’s experiences and recognising that symptoms, diagnoses and treatments may differ. By investing more time, funding and attention into women’s health, we can help close the gap and build a healthcare system that works well for everyone.”
