For a collection of people that make up half the human race, women have had the short end of the stick in most aspects of basic life. Forced child marriage, sexual harassment, inequality in the workplace, and education- there’s no lack of struggles for the female population across the world.
Even through these other problems, people would think doctors and educators would still be worried about keeping their mothers, sisters, and wives healthy.
Unfortunately, like many other aspects of life, women are not a priority in the world of medicine and health.
It’s the twenty-first century, and the amount of information that women know about themselves and their bodies is astonishingly low. And we can blame the lack of proper education in school, and the fact that we were excluded in the world of medicine, on the severe disconnect between women’s mental, physical, and emotional health.
Due to the biological makeup of women being very different than that of men, disease and infection present themselves differently in women. This fact, however, did nothing to motivate researchers early on to include women in clinical trials. In fact, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, in 1977, the FDA created a policy that denied a woman in a state of “reproductive potential” from being included in the first two phases of clinical trials. This included those whose partners were sterilized, practiced abstinence, did not want children, and those on birth control.
Can you imagine the difference in women’s health care if we had been included in these trials? I wouldn’t have had to fight my doctors when I wasn’t able to keep food down, women wouldn’t have to fight to be taken seriously when we say something is wrong. People would listen.
It wasn’t until 1993, almost two decades later, that this decision was repealed, and Congress allowed us to take part.
Things like implant failure and signs of strokes and heart diseases are just some of the things that have adverse outcomes for women, and so many women don’t know what signs to look for simply because we weren’t studied when these issues became a new problem.
And then there’s the problem of education. In recent years, the average age that young women experience puberty has become lower, now ranging from the ages of 9 to 11. Studies have shown that girls who experience periods and body changes at a much younger age are the same ones more susceptible to poorer body image and depression and are the ones who end up engaging in more risk-taking behaviors like substance use and the initiation of early sexual activity.
If we aren’t teaching younger girls about their bodies sooner, we could be failing them in the long run. If they are unprepared for a natural cycle that cannot be controlled by them, or anyone else, they are not only missing out on important information about growing up, but also the effects that their period and overall hormones have on their bodies. Not to mention the problems that come with irregular periods or even not having a period at all.
Not fun fact: Did you know that only 21% of elementary schools provide any type of puberty education? The period video is shown only to the girls and, at the time, is seen by many people as a taboo subject. When I was shown the video in 5 grade, we were told we weren’t allowed to tell any of the boys what we watched. So now we have boys growing up not knowing how female anatomy works.
Half the population is now completely unaware of the struggles women face throughout puberty, and the half that does know isn’t taken seriously when it comes to their symptoms.
Getting women the health care they want and need could begin to pave the way for future amendments. We are not prepared as a species if we do not include proper care for all. Prejudice and bias have held their ground for far too long, and it’s time that we change that for future generations.
Below are some links with more information
www.aamc.org/news/why-we-know-so-little-about-women-s-health.
www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/your-menstrual-cycle-and-your-health.