{"id":779326,"date":"2026-09-22T22:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/779326\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T22:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:26:09","slug":"sex-based-discrimination-in-medicine-costs-lives-womens-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/779326\/","title":{"rendered":"Sex-based discrimination in medicine costs lives | Women’s health"},"content":{"rendered":"

As head of pharmacovigilance at a clinical trials technology company, I was not surprised that a review of global research found that women are less likely than men to be offered active treatment for the same conditions (Women with same health conditions as men \u2018less likely to be offered active treatment\u2019, 16 September<\/a>).<\/p>\n

This inequality costs lives. A British Heart Foundation-funded study found that women were less likely than men<\/a> to receive recommended care after a heart attack. Research in 2018 estimated that more than 8,000 women\u2019s deaths may have been prevented<\/a> over 10 years had they received the same standard of care as men.<\/p>\n

The problem starts long before a patient reaches the hospital, however. For years, women have been woefully underrepresented in clinical trials, initially because policy excluded women who might become pregnant. However, women also have busy lives, typically managing home and work, which makes taking time off a challenge that many find impossible.<\/p>\n

Yet without representation in the trials that give us safer, more effective medication, women\u2019s specific needs are sidelined \u2013 which is unacceptable given that women experience 50%-70% more side-effects from drugs<\/a> than men. Including women in more trials would go a long way towards addressing the health inequality between women and men.
Claire Williams
NorthWest EHealth<\/p>\n

Sex-based discrimination is not new, but the fact that women with the same health conditions as men \u2013 from kidney to heart to liver problems \u2013 are less likely to be offered treatment continues to shock us. These are not just men\u2019s issues, as they have historically been treated, but conditions that significantly affect women.<\/p>\n

This new research<\/a> is significant because it goes beyond gynaecological conditions. It illustrates that medical misogyny is not just rife in \u201cwomen\u2019s specialities\u201d, where conditions are dismissed as \u201cwomen\u2019s problems\u201d, but across fields, contributing to women receiving less treatment and less help for their health problems.<\/p>\n

A fundamental shift in attitude is needed. Addressing this requires mandatory education in women\u2019s health and in sex- and gender-sensitive medicine to eliminate bias throughout the training and continuing professional development of all healthcare professionals. Education must also begin in schools, with stronger sex and health education to challenge stereotypes and improve understanding of women\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

The renewed women\u2019s health strategy<\/a> and the 10-year health plan\u00a0for England<\/a> provide an opportunity to act. Women are not asking for preferential treatment; they need equal access to timely diagnosis, appropriate investigation and effective care.
Prof Geeta Nargund
Health Equality Foundation<\/p>\n

I was delighted to see more discussion of endometriosis and other women\u2019s health issues (\u2018It makes you feel helpless\u2019: patients and doctors cast doubt on standard treatment for endometriosis, 15 September<\/a>). However, there remains a woeful disregard of many of the issues women face.<\/p>\n

Pelvic pain is experienced by many women, as the article pointed out. In my case, as extreme pain came to dominate my life, I saw several top (male) professors of gynaecology and urinary disease before \u2013 thanks to a Guardian article<\/a> \u2013 I saw a female gynaecologist who pointed me to a solution. This was physiotherapy specifically directed to dealing with women\u2019s health issues, and pain in particular. These techniques need to be far more widely available and known.
Prof Sophie Watson
The Open University<\/p>\n

Have an opinion on anything you\u2019ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters<\/a> section.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As head of pharmacovigilance at a clinical trials technology company, I was not surprised that a review of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":779327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-779326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=779326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/779327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}