It amazes me to think that women’s health care in the 21st century is still drastically inferior to men’s in many ways, and both men’s and women’s health care is not where it should be. Women’s issues are lagging in research efforts and in dollars invested. And communication about women’s health issues is not as clear as it needs to be.
I learned this first hand when I was told at age 42 that I needed a complete hysterectomy. I didn’t know what I was getting into. But the doctors said I needed it, so I had it. And I was immediately plunged into menopause. My body was in shock at the loss of all the hormones that it could no longer produce.
It took a lot of time and effort to get my health back on track. When I did, I became a women’s health advocate to make sure other women would have access to information and resources so they wouldn’t be blindsided like I was.
I also wanted to find a way for women to be heard by the heath care community. We need an outlet for two-way communication to make our health needs and wishes known. That’s another key reason I founded EmpowHER.
And, boy, is there a lot of work to be done! Let’s start with research. Most research subjects have historically been men. That means the information collected was specific to the hormone levels and muscle mass of men.
Women are different! Our hormones fluctuate all month, every month. So it doesn’t make sense to assume drugs will work the same on us, or the doses should be the same for our lower weight and body composition.
Then there’s testing. Breast and ovarian cancers kill thousands of women every year. But we don’t have an accurate test to provide early detection. I can’t help but believe if this was a concern for men, developing an accurate test would have been a bigger priority.
And don’t forget communication. We know that heart disease is a leading health threat for women. But women don’t receive the same warnings or the same tests to head off the condition. Many women don’t know that our heart attack symptoms are different from men’s. How can we protect ourselves when we don’t have the information we need to tell when something is wrong!
I believe open communication including a two-way conversation with leaders in the health care community is critical for women’s health issues to get the attention they deserve. That means we need to stop holding back and hoping things will get better. We need to stand up for ourselves and demand better care.
One step along this path is communicating clearly with our own doctors. Don’t be shy when it comes to safeguarding your own health. If something is going on, even if it seems embarrassing like being gassy or having pain during sex, you need to be your own best advocate and talk clearly with your doctor. If you just can’t say the words, write it down and hand him or her the piece of paper. Don’t undermine your own health care by keeping secrets!
The next step is to create a collective voice to make sure we are heard. And that’s part of what I’m trying to do here on EmpowHER.com. When you come to the website and take a poll, you’re giving me information and ammunition that I can use as a women’s health advocate to get our collective message heard.
For example, a poll on the site asked women about their experiences with hot flashes and what kinds of treatment they wished were available. I was able to take that information and present it to the FDA at a recent hearing about a new non-hormonal drug for hot flashes.
The drug was not approved. But our collective voice was heard! It may seem like a tiny step. But every step we take together adds weight and helps us collectively create movement in the direction we want to go.
We deserve to be heard and we deserve to move the quality of our health care into the 21st century. Speaking with a collective voice is the only way things are going to change.
So if you are not already a member here on EmpowHER, please sign up. And while you are here, take our polls and become involved. Let’s change the course of women’s health care together. If we don’t do it, who will?