Women’s health in the United States and across the world continues to worsen, with a widespread lack of access to healthcare and low awareness levels contributing to disparities in outcomes between men and women. Driving prevailing health inequity is a stark gap in medical research, which has been historically performed primarily on male subjects. Women have been excluded from clinical trials throughout history, limiting our understanding of female-specific health conditions and their overall health.
From cardiovascular risk factors to breast cancer and fertility, women’s health encompasses a wide range of complex issues that require specialized attention and research. Despite making up half of the global population, women are largely under-studied and underrepresented in medicine, which extends to the clinical setting. The statistics are telling: Women die at higher rates than men from heart attacks and strokes; they comprise 80 percent of all new cases of autoimmune diseases; and they are three times more likely to experience mental health disorders. The list goes on.