Women’s health is a vast topic area that affects around half the world’s population. However, it has been chronically underfunded, under-researched and misunderstood. Frustrated by the lack of focus on women in medical research, and the corresponding issues of misdiagnosis and under-treatment of women in healthcare, Dr. Hazel Wallace, founder of The Food Medic, a medical doctor, nutritionist, and bestselling author, has felt compelled to provide a new resource for shedding light on female-focused scientific research and helping women live healthier, happier lives: The Female Factor, published 7th July 2022.
For decades, our medical evidence base has been informed by a male-centric model of research and practice, with a general assumption that women are simply smaller versions of men, with troublesome hormones and reproductive organs. From the use of male mice to male bodies, medical research has shied away from including women in research, citing unacceptable reasons such as women’s fluctuating hormones being too complex to account for in research, risk of pregnancy, and even the stereotypical notion that women are too busy with their caregiving responsibilities to have time to participate. This chronic lack of female representation in medical research has led to significant global gender health inequalities and is further compounded by race and socioeconomic background. Notably, transgender women are particularly excluded by medical research, which has dire consequences on their access to and quality of healthcare.
Fuelled by this atrocious underrepresentation of women in medical research, Dr. Hazel Wallace has published her latest book, The Female Factor, as a comprehensive guide to changing the narrative around women’s health research, and to empower women with knowledge of their bodies and health. What is particularly impressive is that Dr Wallace has chosen to not only focus on female reproductive conditions such as endometriosis, and PCOS, but opened up the conversation to all aspects of female health and disease. This follows the premise that the presentation, diagnosis and management of a wide range of diseases may be different in women.
The book is very cleverly laid out over four well-defined chapters: nutrition, movement, mood and sleep. Each chapter carefully guides readers through the main hormonal milestones a woman can experience, and how the ways we eat, move and sleep can affect these processes. Consistently, Dr. Wallace not only shares information based on peer reviewed research and statistics, but translates this scientific knowledge for the reader to give practical and understandable advice for healthy living.
With Dr. Wallace’s background as a nutritionist, it is no great surprise that the nutrition chapter of the book is a triumph. Instead of viewing women’s fluctuating hormones as “pesky” and confusing, Dr Wallace conscientiously reframes this misconception as women having specific nutritional needs across the menstrual cycle that can be understood and met. From explaining why women may experience cravings across the menstrual cycle, which foods may ease PMS symptoms, nutrition that could support fertility and eating during pregnancy and menopause, the chapter truly covers nutritional support and advice across the female lifespan. This is distinctively admirable considering the majority of literature focuses on women of childbearing age, and fails to empower women who are experiencing menopause and beyond.
The consecutive chapters on movement, mood, and sleep are also exceptionally easy to follow. For instance, in the movement chapter, Dr. Wallace includes explanations and advice on areas such as energy availability and fuelling your fitness across the menstrual cycle, debunking myths surrounding women and strength training, and exercise during pregnancy and after menopause. In my opinion, the most sensitively discussed and insightful chapter is the chapter on mood. From discussing how women may respond differently to stress than men, uniquely female mental health conditions such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and postpartum depression (PND), to mood fluctuation across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause, this chapter is undoubtedly special in its delivery of largely unknown important information around hormones and mental health. The sleep chapter also similarly provides astute perspectives and advice on the effect of sleep on health across the lifespan. And just when you think it can’t get any better, Dr. Wallace provides 50 new delicious and nutritious recipes at the end of the book. I can personally attest that the coffee, chocolate, and banana oatmeal, and the egg, potato and pesto salad are especially delectable.
Dr Hazel Wallace has achieved a wonderfully encyclopaedic guide to understanding key areas of women’s health, opening up the much needed conversation on women’s health research and practice that everyone should be a part of.