Women’s health is not just ‘bikini medicine’
The UK has the largest gender health gap in the G20 group of economies, and the 12th largest globally.¹ While women on average live longer than men, they spend a significantly greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability.²
However, less is known about conditions that only affect women. Women make up 51% of the population, yet they are seemingly an afterthought in healthcare. Is this due to the lack of women’s involvement in medical studies historically?³ Is it a fault of ‘bikini medicine’?
What is ‘bikini medicine’?
Women in Pharma’s (WiP) White Paper – #BeyondBikiniMedicine – describes ‘bikini medicine’ as the mistaken belief that women’s health only differs from men’s in parts of the body a bikini would cover. Too often women’s health is simplified to include only sexual and reproductive health, underrepresenting the true health burden women face.
The truth is women’s health is not just ‘bikini medicine’. We spoke with Miriam Kenrick, co-founder of WiP to understand the paradigm shift required to ensure women’s health issues are no longer neglected and everyone is part of the solution.
To date, Miriam has spent her whole career in the pharma industry, working for companies like GSK, Roche, Allergan and Santen. Reflecting on her professional journey, she quotes Steve Jobs: “you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” Those dots have aligned for Miriam in women's health, where she’s now advocating for a move from ‘bikini medicine’ to ‘gendered medicine’.
The history of women’s health
Looking back on the documented history of women’s health, it is evident that women have been excluded from science and medical knowledge production. A report published in 1985 by the U.S. Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues, the cornerstone of current focus on biomedical research in the women's health movement, concluded:⁴
The historical lack of research focus on women's health concerns has compromised the quality of health information available to women as well as the health care they receive.
Has progress been made since?
If we fast forward to the present, it’s evident that some progress has been made towards investment and innovation in women’s health. In March 2024 U.S. President Joe Biden said: "I’m going to make sure women’s health is prioritised across the government" as he pledged $200 million to better understanding women’s health issues, including sexual and reproductive conditions.
In January 2024, the UK government invested £25 million into women’s health hubs in an attempt to allow women better access to care for essential services for menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain and menopause care.⁵
Although it is great to see progress being made, it is important to remember that as #BeyondBikiniMedicine suggests, we need a paradigm shift to ensure everyone is, and wants to be, involved in the solution to ensure women’s health issues are no longer neglected.
Miriam believes that if we approach women’s health research in the same way we encourage rare disease research, more could be achieved: “If we can find a way to move the regulatory environment towards that same concept for women's health, then I think it would open the floodgates.”
It is clear more changes need to be adopted and implemented by regulatory bodies to incentivise investment in the space. #BeyondBikiniMedicine is a powerful and growing movement for change, a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we have to go in women’s health.
Have a read of WiP’s report for ways to advocate for improved women’s health in the UK.
References
[1] The Women’s Organisation. The Gender Health Gap: Shocking Statistics You Need To Know. Available at: https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/the-gender-health-gap-shocking-statistics-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=The%20UK%20was%20found%20to,inequalities%20within%20our%20healthcare%20system Last accessed May 2024
[2] GOV.UK. Women’s Health Strategy for Englang. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-strategy-for-england/womens-health-strategy-for-england Last accessed May 2024
[3] GOV.UK. Male and female populations. Available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/uk-population-by-ethnicity/demographics/male-and-female-populations/latest/ Last accessed May 2024
[4] National Library of Medicine. Women and Health Research: Ethical and Legal Issues of Including Women in Clinical Studies: Volume 1. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236535/ Last accessed May 2024
[5] GOV.UK. Press Release: £25 million for women’s health hub expansion. Available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/25-million-for-womens-health-hub-expansion Last accessed May 2024