“Women are more prone than men to some risk factors that cause heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and dementia. Women have higher rates of obesity…”.1

Umbrella
What may the Women’s Health Research Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Women’s Health News
  • Women’s Health Research

Definition

What is women’s health research?

In What Is Women’s Health Research? the (United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)) Office of Research on Women’s Health’s (ORWH) elaborate on:

“The field has expanded far beyond its roots in reproductive health and includes the study of health throughout the lifespan and across the spectrum of scientific investigations: from basic research and laboratory studies to molecular research, genetics, and clinical trials. Researchers are investigating healthy lifestyles and behavior, risk reduction, and disease prevention, and searching for the best ways to diagnose and treat chronic conditions”.2

Research

How is women’s health research important?

The ORWH explain:

“A person’s health is influenced throughout their lifespan by many factors. Some of the most important factors include sex, gender, racial ethnicity, culture, environment, and socioeconomic status. Researchers are discovering the critical roles that sex (being male or female) and gender identity (including social and cultural factors) play in health, wellness, and disease progression. The discoveries being made through the study of women’s health and sex differences are key to advancements in personalized medicine for both sexes”.3

Women

Are women represented in research?

In Health Equity: Why Is Equity In Women’s Health Important? the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women note:

“Let’s take bias out of the health equation.

  • Women are underrepresented in research, which means there’s a lot we still don’t know
  • Women are not receiving optimal treatment, which comes from lack of access and/or lack of knowledge
  • Women are grossly underrepresented in STEM careers–we need to close that gap”.4

What is STEM?

STEM may be an abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Office of Research on Women’s Health

What is ORWH?

In Office of Research on Women’s Health: About ORWH the ORWH elaborate on:

“Established in 1990, the Office of Research on Women’s Health serves as the focal point for women’s health research at the National Institutes of Health. For over thirty years, ORWH has worked across the NIH and beyond to advance our understanding of sex and gender as influences in health and disease, support women in biomedical careers, and stimulate research to improve the health of women”.5

Society for Women’s Health Research

What is the (United States) Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR)?

The SWHR explain:

“The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is the thought leader in promoting research on biological sex differences in disease and improving women’s health through science, policy, and education. We are making women’s health mainstream”.6

Women’s Health

Women’s Health Research What sex and gender differences are there in many diseases and conditions?

According to the ORWH:

“There are striking sex and gender differences in many diseases and conditions, including:

  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • Depression and brain disorders
  • Diabetes
  • Infectious diseases
  • Obesity
  • Substance abuse disorders”.7

Risk Factors

What risk factors are women more prone to than men?

In Health Equity: Path To Parity Go Red for Women explain:

“Women are more prone than men to some risk factors that cause heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and dementia. Women have higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Factors related to reproductive health increase a woman’s risk of CVD – early menarche, early menopause, miscarriages, and complications of pregnancy like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes”.8

Equity

Why is equity important in women’s health?

In Health Equity: Path To Parity Go Red for Women elaborate on:

“Societal factors impact a woman’s ability to live a healthy lifestyle and access quality, affordable healthcare. Low income and women with less education have nearly double the rate of disease. Where you live can greatly impact your health. Life expectancy can differ by 20+ years for people living just 5 miles apart because accessible options for healthy living are often limited near neighborhoods with lower economic stability”.9

Health Care Provider

What if I would like help to find out what women’s health research is applicable to me?

If you would like help to find out what women’s health research is applicable to you, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

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Links

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Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Health Equity: Path To Parity. Go Red for Women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/get-involved/health-equity Accessed: 07 December 2023
  2. What Is Women’s Health Research? National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health https://orwh.od.nih.gov/research/funded-research-and-programs/what-womens-health-research Accessed: 07 December 2023
  3. What Is Women’s Health Research? National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health https://orwh.od.nih.gov/research/funded-research-and-programs/what-womens-health-research Accessed: 07 December 2023
  4. Health Equity: Why Is Equity In Women’s Health Important? Go Red for Women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/get-involved/health-equity Accessed: 07 December 2023
  5. Office of Research on Women’s Health: About ORWH. National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health https://orwh.od.nih.gov/about Accessed: 07 December 2023
  6. Society for Women’s Health Research http://swhr.org/ Accessed: 07 December 2023
  7. What Is Women’s Health Research? National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health https://orwh.od.nih.gov/research/funded-research-and-programs/what-womens-health-research Accessed: 07 December 2023
  8. Health Equity: Path To Parity. Go Red for Women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/get-involved/health-equity Accessed: 07 December 2023
  9. Health Equity: Path To Parity. Go Red for Women https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/get-involved/health-equity Accessed: 07 December 2023
Topic Last Updated: 23 March 2024 – Topic Last Reviewed: 07 December 2023

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