Now that I’m a senior, a lot of people, including myself, are always asking the question “What are you doing after graduation?” I am very grateful to have a job lined up but I know that there are still many whose post grad plans are filled with ambiguity. A lot of my friends from home are pre-med or pre-dental and for them their next steps include going to med or dental school, which I think is awesome. The healthcare professions are so vital to our society, and I have a lot of respect for anyone who chooses that path. That being said, my friends and I would be the first to agree that the industry needs a lot of work, especially when it comes to women’s health.
I’m very thankful for the advancements we’ve seen in the medical field, but unfortunately, for decades, the “average patient” studied was almost never a woman. One of the given reasons for this was “protection.” In 1977, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) created a policy to exclude women who had reproductive potential from Phase 1 and Phase 2 of clinical trials. This came as a response to a drug called “thalidomide,” which was prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness and resulted in many birth defects and even deaths of their newborn babies. While the intention was there, this policy was interpreted broadly by pharma companies and resulted in the exclusion of women when it came to drug testing until 1933 when Congress overturned this policy and mandated that women be included. Despite this change, research on the female body is still decades behind.
The lack of study and research on the female body can have dire consequences for women. For instance, symptoms for certain medical conditions show up differently based on sex, body fat percentage, enzyme activity, and hormonal differences. This makes diagnosis difficult for women and makes them feel ignored or misinterpreted. Additionally, certain issues that impact women disproportionately such as endometriosis or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) are essentially placed on the back burner when it comes to funding. This again makes diagnosis difficult and prolongs the pain these women have to endure. The male body has typically been considered the norm in medicine and even when it comes to crash testing and medical device testing, female anatomy is usually not utilized. This again puts women at a greater risk of injury or misdiagnosis compared to their male counterparts, even when they make up half of the population.
Overall, we are moving in the right direction, slowly but surely. Awareness is growing on the importance of women’s healthcare, and pharmaceutical companies, researchers, doctors, and scientists are all adapting. However, this does not negate the work that has yet to be done. Inclusion alone does not guarantee equity. There needs to be meaningful analysis, funding prioritization, and institutional accountability so that women can get the healthcare they require. I sincerely hope that all my fellow pre-med folks have an opportunity to consider this and contribute to the upscaling of the healthcare industry for everyone.
