Women’s Health Is Under Researched. Here’s What Needs to Be Done

Clinical research is a critical aspect of medicine that allows us to discover new treatments, new medical devices, and new types of surgeries that can help us lead better and healthier lives. Up until 1993, it wasn’t required that women be included in clinical trials. This contributed to an ongoing lack of understanding and attention placed on women’s health. While there’s been progress within the medical community to address this gender research gap, there’s still more work to be done.

At Axia Women’s Health, helping to educate women about their bodies and providing a more progressive healthcare experience is our core belief and mission. That’s why we’re shedding light on this topic and furthering efforts through our clinical research division to treat some of today’s most urgent women’s health conditions. In this article, we’re reviewing the history of clinical trials, gaps that still exist in research, and how we hope to be a part of the solution.

A Brief History on Clinical Trials and Women’s Health

For too long, education around women’s bodies was lacking and women’s pain was often dismissed. The birth of the women’s health movement in the 1960s and 1970s brought this into greater focus.

Historically, females of reproductive age weren’t equally represented in clinical trials for a few reasons. Namely, researchers and policymakers argued that there were no significant sex differences regarding medication responses, essentially viewing male and female bodies as the same. It was also believed that a female’s fluctuating hormone levels could impact results and make it more difficult to conduct the trial. Researchers also chose to exclude pregnant women from trials. Many researchers and policymakers argued that excluding women from trials based on these criteria could do more harm than good.

Finally, in 1993, Congress passed the National Institutes of Health Inclusion Policy into federal law, mandating that women and minorities be included in clinical research. Following that, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has since implemented a series of policies encouraging diversity in clinical trials. Since then, additional legislation, like the Safe Medication for Moms and Babies Act, has been passed to further the development and research of effective and safe therapies for pregnant and lactating women.

These were significant achievements and a big step forward for women’s health! Today, females make up about 50% of the participants in NIH clinical trials and 72% of FDA clinical trial participants.

However, gaps still exist particularly for women of color. Lack of access and education around clinical trials could be part of the issue. Because certain conditions can affect women of color disproportionately, it’s critical that researchers continue to push for diversity.

Critical Areas of Women’s Health Research

While there is still work to be done, it’s important to recognize the progress we’ve made. As you read this, there are researchers across the U.S. studying and developing new treatments for a variety of critical women’s health conditions. A few of those areas include:

• Breast Cancer: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. Getting screened regularly through a year mammogram can help detect cancer at an earlier stage when it’s smaller and may be easier to treat. Researchers, including those at Axia Women’s Health, are also now looking at ways to detect and diagnose breast cancer earlier, including using a single blood test.
• Endometriosis: Chronic pain conditions like endometriosis have a history of being misdiagnosed or overlooked in women. Endometriosis occurs when tissue grows outside of the uterus and causes abdominal pain and irregular, painful, or heavy periods. Researchers are actively studying new therapies like a medication to better target pain from endometriosis.
• Sexual Health: Sexually transmitted infections are rising in the US, and place women at greater risk than men, due to the structure of our anatomies. If left untreated, STDs like chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause long-term consequences to our reproductive health. Axia’s clinical research team is actively looking into new ways to treat STDs including a vaginal gel that could help prevent recurrent STDS.
• Postpartum Hypertension: Hypertension, or high blood pressure, may go unrecognized during the postpartum period as women lack the tools they need to monitor and maintain their health after returning home with their baby. High blood pressure is a serious condition that can put women at greater risk for stroke, seizures, and death. Providers at Axia Women’s Health were awarded a grant to pilot the use of a remote hypertension monitoring smartphone app to help new moms track their blood pressure and easily communicate with their care team, once they are discharged from the hospital.

Where Do We Go From Here

Axia Women’s Health is a proud advocate for improving access to clinical trials, making it easier for women, especially minorities, to learn about and enroll in clinical trials. In addition to the clinical trials currently underway at Axia Women’s Health, ClinicalTrials.gov is an excellent resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine for learning more about active trials you may be eligible for. Your Axia provider can also provide more information about any active trials within your care center.

By ensuring equal representation of diverse women in clinical trials, we can help not only improve outcomes for ourselves, but for future generations of women to come.