![\"Estimated](\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/clock-regular.4ddebeb.svg\")
5 min read<\/p>\n5 min read<\/p>\n
Women have historically faced barriers to receiving adequate medical treatment, from the long legacy of doctors dismissing women\u2019s symptoms<\/a> as \u201call in their heads\u201d or as simply \u201chysteria,\u201d to the reality that most research has been done on men\u2019s bodies. Congress only mandated that women be included in studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1993<\/a>, and even after that, science has been slow to implement changes<\/a>.<\/p>\n That was over 30 years ago, and the fact that the sexes are still treated differently in the medical setting still holds true\u2014and a new review digs into exactly how. The paper, published in PLOS One<\/a>, found that across disciplines, women were both less likely to be offered invasive treatments and to be prescribed medication in accordance with guidelines.<\/p>\n For experts who\u2019ve long been sounding the alarm about sex and gender bias in medicine\u2014and how female biology differs from male biology\u2014it\u2019s a welcome development. \u201cIt hits all of the key points that we\u2019ve been thinking about for decades now,\u201d says Marcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D., founding director of the Stanford Women\u2019s Health and Sex Differences in Medicine Center. \u201cIt\u2019s been this long, hard struggle to ever get anyone to actually pay attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead, what the researchers found, and what it means for those seeking treatment.<\/p>\n Meet the Experts: Andrew O\u2019Malley, Ph.D., study co-author and head of the Division of Education at the University of St Andrews School of Medicine; Marcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D., founding director of the Stanford Women\u2019s Health and Sex Differences in Medicine Center; Syreen Goulmamine, M.P.H., associate director of research translation and programs at the Society for Women\u2019s Health Research.<\/p>\n What did the study find?<\/p>\n The researchers analyzed data from 41 papers published between 2018 and 2023, 26 of which were conducted in the U.S. After they crunched the numbers, they found disparities across specialties, many of which uncovered similar findings: less invasive procedures, less medication.<\/p>\n Here are some of the specifics:<\/p>\n Women with certain cardiovascular conditions were more likely to be managed with medication rather than invasive options such as coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, or ablation therapyWomen were less likely to be given opioids for pain management<\/a> by emergency teamsWomen with Parkinson\u2019s were less likely to be considered for deep brain stimulation devicesWomen were less likely to receive medication for cholesterol management and blood pressure control<\/a>\u200bWomen in need of liver transplants were less likely to receive them and more likely to be hospitalized<\/p>\n The researchers were surprised to find that \u201cthe direction of the difference was the same across cardiology, neurology, surgery and emergency medicine,\u201d says Andrew O\u2019Malley, Ph.D., study co-author and head of the Division of Education at the University of St Andrews School of Medicine. \u201cWe were also surprised at how few studies there were in this field\u2014we expected more.\u201d<\/p>\n The data was particularly limited when it came to intersex and trans people. (Data on the latter is limited in part because of these studies\u2019 reliance on medical records, which do not separate sex and gender.) Additionally, only four of the studies examined how sex bias intersected with race bias; due to the limited data, the researchers weren\u2019t able to draw conclusions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe review shows that women are often treated differently, but it does not always tell us the impact it is having on women\u2019s health outcomes. The review is a useful snapshot and a strong case for better research,\u201d says Syreen Goulmamine, M.P.H., associate director of research translation and programs at the Society for Women\u2019s Health Research.<\/p>\n Why do women and men receive such different treatment?<\/p>\n There are likely several factors at play, not limited to cultural biases, differences in patient preferences, and a lack of data and awareness about how sex affects different biological systems. It\u2019s actually not necessarily a bad thing to treat the sexes differently, in accordance with their different biologies; the trouble comes when those differences aren\u2019t based on well-researched guidelines. \u201cUltimately, success is not identical treatment rates, but ensuring every patient receives evidence-based care,\u201d Goulmamine says.<\/p>\n Add Prevention as a preferred source in your Google search results.<\/p>\n Use your Google account to add this to your settings.<\/p>\n Add to Google settings<\/p>\n![\"Google\"](\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/social\/google.1467f37.svg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/info-regular.348beca.svg?primary=%2523ffffff\")
<\/p>\n