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Putting Women’s Sexual, Reproductive & Gynaecological Health in the Spotlight

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A 2024 report highlighted an eye-opening statistic: women spend 25% more time in poor health compared to men, despite life expectancy improving for both sexes.1 While life expectancy is clearly a key metric of women’s health, it is time to begin taking conditions that disproportionately affect women seriously to help address time spent in poor health.

High incidence intimate conditions that are considered ‘benign’ do not come without life-restricting effects, shame and embarrassment, and the consequences of minimizing common issues such as bacterial vaginosis, abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) or vaginitis could mean years lost to discomfort and pain.

STIs are a Women’s Health Issue

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are often not categorized to be a women’s health concern, but women are disproportionately affected by STIs.2 This is due to the high prevalence in female populations, but also because of the potential complications which can lead to chronic pelvic pain and problems with fertility.3

The most recent data from the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index showed that just 10% of women globally had been tested for an STI in the previous year, meaning that nearly 2 billion women of reproductive age are left at risk of infertility, increased maternal and fetal mortality and deadly diseases.4

We must reframe the discussion on STIs so that women realise their risks and are not afraid of seeking out testing and treatment where required.

Normalizing Common Gynaecological Conditions

Another matter that does not receive much attention is vaginitis, which many women will experience in their lifetime.5 There can be many different causes for inflammation.5

One cause of vaginitis is bacterial vaginitis (BV). While BV is common and can be symptomless in many women, it does make women more susceptible to STIs and in pregnancy, it raises the risk of miscarriage or premature birth.6 Yet despite these potential issues, BV can be ignored by women who are embarrassed by its symptoms or mistaken for other conditions like thrush. It is a prime example of a condition which often does not cause any ongoing health concerns,5 but the symptoms can be isolating and wrapped in stigma.

We need to collectively improve how we discuss these issues so that women who are negatively affected seek help and treatment if required without feeling any shame.

Removing Stigma & Shame

We need to collectively improve how we discuss these issues so that women who are negatively affected seek help and treatment if required without feeling any shame. Awareness is fundamental, but we also must create safe spaces for women to feel seen and heard when it comes to gynaecological health.

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    References
    1. McKinsey Health Institute. [Internet] Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies. [Cited 2024, January.] Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-a-1-trillion-dollar-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies
    2. Van Gerwen OT, Muzny CA, Marrazzo JM. Sexually transmitted infections and female reproductive health. Nat Microbiol. 2022;7(8):1116-1126
    3. Survey of 1,004 Canadian women aged 18-50+ who experience high menstrual bleeding during 9th-16th February 2018. Hologic data on file.
    4. Hologic Global Women’s Health Index. Year 3 Global Data. 2022
    5. Geretti AM, Mardh O, de Vries HJC, et al. Sexual transmission of infections across Europe: appraising the present, scoping the future. Sexually Transmitted Infections 2022;98:451-457
    6. NHS. [Internet]. Bacterial vaginosis. [Cited 2022, October 22]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bacterial-vaginosis/