For years, women’s health has been treated as if it’s just about reproductive organs—pregnancy, periods, and the occasional mammogram. But here’s the thing: we are so much more than our wombs and boobs! Women’s bodies have unique health risks that go way beyond gynaecology, yet many conditions that disproportionately affect us, compared to our male counterparts, are often overlooked or dismissed.
So, let’s talk about the real picture of women’s health—beyond the outdated ‘bikini medicine’ approach—and why paying attention to things like heart disease, metabolic conditions, and hormonal disorders could save and improve millions of lives.
Women’s Health: More Than Just Gynaecology
Too often, women’s health is reduced to three main areas: reproductive health (think periods, pregnancy, and menopause), breasts (because, of course, breast cancer awareness is huge), and bladder issues (because apparently, we all just need to accept a bit of ‘leakage’ after childbirth).
But what about everything else?
The reality is, women experience a whole host of health conditions that don’t get nearly enough attention. Even worse, when we do present with symptoms of these conditions, we’re often dismissed as being ‘anxious’ or told to ‘lose weight and come back later’ (sound familiar?).
So, what are some of the real health issues affecting women?
Cardiovascular Health: The Silent Killer in Women
Heart disease is actually the leading cause of death in women, yet it’s still widely perceived as a ‘male issue.’ Women often experience different (and more subtle) symptoms than men—like nausea, fatigue, chest tightness, anxiety, giddiness, tinnitus, hot flushes, sleep disturbance and jaw pain—instead of the ‘classic’ crushing chest pain that signals a heart attack or angina. Because of this, heart attacks in women are more likely to be missed or misdiagnosed and their cardiovascular risk, greatly underestimated.
Oh, and high blood pressure? It’s a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and it skyrockets after menopause when oestrogen levels drop. Naturally, a woman’s blood pressure sits lower than a man’s (as we are generally smaller with smaller hearts and blood vessels that are designed to take lower pressures, on average), yet the blood pressure targets and ‘normal’ ranges as we age are the same for both men and women. This means that women are often under-treated when it comes to their blood pressure. After menopause, cholesterol levels rise, arteries stiffen, and the risk of heart disease climbs dramatically. This isn’t just about hot flushes and mood swings—postmenopausal health risks need serious attention.
The risk for CV Disease in post menopausal women is he same in an age-matched man. Yet, many women have no idea they’re at risk because the focus tends to be on our bikini areas with cervical smears and mammograms taking centre stage, and other ‘non specific’ symptoms attributed to the menopause transition.
Then there’s migraine—which, for many women, isn’t just a headache. Studies show that women who suffer from migraines, particularly with aura, have a higher risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Yet, instead of investigating these risks, women are often left to ‘manage’ their migraines with painkillers rather than exploring hormonal or cardiovascular links.
Metabolic Health & Insulin Resistance: The Bigger Picture
- PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) – PCOS is one of the most common hormonal disorders in women, affecting metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and even cardiovascular health. Yet, many women with PCOS struggle to get proper care beyond ‘just taking the pill’ or ‘losing weight.’
- Gestational Diabetes – Ever had gestational diabetes? It’s not just a ‘pregnancy thing’—it’s a warning sign for type 2 diabetes later in life. Women who’ve had it need long-term follow-up and monitoring, yet many don’t receive that.
- Insulin Resistance & Type 2 Diabetes – Women with PCOS, a history of gestational diabetes, or even unexplained weight struggles might be dealing with underlying insulin resistance—an early red flag for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Yet, metabolic health is rarely prioritised in women’s healthcare.
Osteoporosis: The Silent Threat
Osteoporosis is another big one. Women lose bone density faster than men, especially after menopause, making us more prone to fractures. Yet, how many of us have actually been told to take our bone health seriously before hitting 60? Calcium, vitamin D, HRT and resistance training should be part of the conversation way earlier, especially if you have specific risk factors like a close relative suffering at a young age.
Gallstones: A Female-Predominant Problem
Women are twice as likely to develop gallstones as men, thanks to the way oestrogen influences cholesterol levels. Pregnancy, hormonal birth control, and even rapid weight loss can increase the risk. But how often do we hear about this in women’s health discussions? Hardly ever.
The Autoimmune Blind Spot: When Women’s Symptoms Are Dismissed
It starts the same way for so many women: the crushing fatigue, the aching joints, the brain fog that turns simple tasks into monumental efforts. Maybe it’s written off as stress, ageing, or—most commonly—just another part of peri-menopause. But what if it’s something else?
Women are disproportionately affected by autoimmune diseases, yet these conditions are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Thyroid dysfunction, late-onset coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis—just a few examples of autoimmune disorders that predominantly impact women. Many of these conditions share symptoms with hormonal shifts: exhaustion, joint pain, digestive issues, brain fog. The result? A medical blind spot where real disease is dismissed as just another chapter of midlife.
Take hypothyroidism, for instance. It’s one of the most common autoimmune conditions in women, and it can mimic peri-menopausal symptoms almost exactly—fatigue, weight gain, mood changes. Late-onset coeliac disease? It doesn’t always come with the classic digestive distress but can instead show up as chronic fatigue, joint pain, and anaemia. Rheumatoid arthritis? The morning stiffness and joint pain can easily be misattributed to ageing rather than autoimmunity.
Because these conditions disproportionately affect women, and because research has historically centered on male bodies, too many women end up waiting years for a correct diagnosis. In the meantime, they’re handed lifestyle advice, hormone replacement therapy, or told to just “push through.” But the reality is, undiagnosed autoimmune disease can have serious consequences—progressive joint damage, organ involvement, and long-term disability.
Recognising this pattern isn’t just about better diagnostics; it’s about changing the way medicine sees women. A woman reporting fatigue and joint pain isn’t just tired, just ageing, or just going through menopause. She deserves to have her symptoms taken seriously, investigated fully, and treated appropriately.
UTIs, Recurrent UTIs & Bladder Weakness
Sure, we talk about UTIs—because they’re annoyingly common—but recurrent UTIs can sometimes signal deeper issues, like insulin resistance, chronic thrush or hormonal imbalances. And let’s not forget how bladder weakness (aka sudden urges and incontinence) is brushed off as just another ‘fun’ part of ageing or motherhood. Yes, pelvic floor exercises help, but why aren’t we discussing prevention and long-term solutions more readily?
Genes & Women’s Health: It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All
Each woman’s health is unique, shaped by genetics as much as lifestyle. Certain gene clusters predispose some women to metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, or hormonal imbalances. Yet, genetic discussions in women’s health are often sidelined—either out of fear of what they might reveal or because they don’t fit the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ statistically driven medical model.
Understanding genetic risks and taking family history more seriously, could help women take earlier, more personalised action—whether that’s preventative heart screenings, tailored hormone therapy, or specific dietary strategies. It’s time we talked more about genetic factors in women’s health without fear.
Time for a Rethink: Women’s Health is Whole-Body Health
It’s time to move past the idea that women’s health = periods, pregnancy, and menopause. Yes, those things matter, but so does our heart health, our metabolic health, our bones, and our brain function.
What we need is:
- Better screening & prevention – Routine checks for heart disease, diabetes, and bone density should be standard, not optional.
- More education – Women deserve to know how conditions like PCOS, migraines, and pregnancy complications affect long-term health.
- A holistic approach – Looking at the whole body rather than just treating reproductive organs in isolation.
Because let’s be real: women’s health isn’t just about fertility and menopause—it’s about lifelong well-being. And it’s time we started treating it that way.
Have you ever felt like your health concerns were dismissed because they weren’t ‘gynaecological enough’? Let’s get the conversation going!
