Why focus on women’s Health?

This March Inedit will be focusing on Women’s health and we will feature relevant health articles though the year. But why women’s health? There is a growing recognition that there has historically been a lack of focus on areas of women’s health. Women’s health has historically focused heavily on reproductive health yet in mainstream health care there has been a heavier bias towards catering for men. It is a very complex issue as health care and gender inequality vary according to  where we live and what our standards of living are. There are, however, big global issues which need addressing: for example women are more affected and vulnerable to domestic violence, sexual assault and diseases such as HIV than men. There are also key specific health care issues for women; for example breast cancer and cervical cancer. Still, too many women are getting help too late and dying unnecessarily from these diseases. There is also a need to address bias: for example while the rates of Coronary heart disease increase in women, anti smoking, alcohol and lifestyle campaigns are heavily promoted towards men. There are other social issues too: research from the USA shows that women have a tendency to “not prioritise”, “present late”, “or not want to bother doctors” or are more likely “turned away or not taken seriously” while having  serious health episodes such as heart attacks or strokes. 

While there is a lot of progress in these areas, health care policy makers and services have started to acknowledge and work to address these gender inequalities, there is still a need to promote Women’s health. Due to this we will be dedicating some time to highlight and inform on some of these issues in forthcoming publications. We will also offer information on how and where to get help here in Spain.