The International Day of Action for Women’s Health is held each year on 28 May, and it provides an opportunity to shine a light on urgent health issues facing women around the world. The day was first declared in 1987 during a meeting of members of Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights, and it was officially recognised by the South African government in 1999.
In light of this important day, let’s examine four current trends in women’s health that are helping to strengthen and advocate for women’s wellbeing all around the world:
Greater investment into women’s health companies
According to Forbes, 2024 may well be the year that women’s health-focused companies get the attention (and funding) that they deserve. Although fewer women’s health companies raised funds in 2023 than previously, those that did raise capital managed, on average, to raise 9.3% more than in 2022. And, according to a 2023 report from Silicon Valley Bank, there has been a 314% increase in women’s health venture capital investment since 2018. The same report showed that the third quarter of 2023 saw $435 million of investment in non-fertility startups – showing a shift in the long-held perception that fertility and pregnancy are the only focus of women’s health.
The White House has also recently announced its first-ever initiative based around Women’s Health Research which hopes to close gaps, provide education and improve diagnoses. The huge success of start-ups like period and fertility tracking app Clue and B2B digital healthcare clinic Maven show the huge potential of ‘femtech’ businesses, which will hopefully lead the way for South African entrepreneurs to do the same too.
Strength as a focus
While much of the 1990s was about idolising the supermodel waif look, these days women are increasingly seeking strength as their physical priority no matter what their age. Research has shown that physical strength can help strengthen mental health, and being strong is particularly important as we age, since strong bones and joints mean less chance of injury. Hashtags like #strongnotskinny continue to grow in popularity within women’s health, and lifting weights (something that was previously mainly the remit of males) is becoming more mainstream and popular among women.
Nutraceuticals
Another significant trend over recent years has been the rise of nutraceuticals, which is a broad term used to describe products such as probiotics, collagen, melatonin or spices such as turmeric or curcumin that are food-based while also offering extra health benefits. In the specific context of women’s health, nutraceuticals are now being used to support issues women may have in different life stages. For example, vitamin B, calcium, magnesium and certain fatty acids are now being recognised as effective in managing the PMS symptoms that result from hormone fluctuations. For women going through menopause, there’s been a rise in popularity of supplements such as black cohosh, flaxseed and ginseng, which help to support both the physical and mental effects as the body’s oestrogen production slows down.
Access to quality healthcare
The pandemic may be over but unfortunately the latest global women’s health index survey from Hologic shows that for some women, their health may actually be worse off than it was before 2020. Data gathered in 143 countries and territories reveals that billions of women aren’t getting tested for deadly diseases and are continuing to suffer from physical or emotional health issues. In the survey, only 11% of women said they had been tested for any type of cancer in the past 12 months, while only 10% had been tested for STIs or disease. Access to adequate healthcare facilities and screenings is what can help improve these outcomes, including screening benefits provided by medical aid schemes such as Fedhealth.
It’s clear that women’s health is getting more global focus than ever before – and this looks set to continue in the years to come. But although the landscape of women’s health is continually evolving and progressing, it’s clear that there’s still a way to go before women the world over have access to quality healthcare resources.
