Frances Marcellin (Née Cook)’s Post

The Women's Health Gap: A Call to Action The staggering women's health gap results in 75 million years of life lost annually due to poor health or premature death. Closing this gap could profoundly impact the lives of the 3.9 billion women worldwide. What Closing the Gap Means: - Seven extra healthy days each year - An average of 500 additional healthy days over a lifetime - Improving the diagnosis and treatment of menopause for women from 2 out of 10 to anything better! In 2020, only 1% of healthcare research and innovation was invested in female-specific conditions beyond oncology, according to McKinsey. #WomensHealth #GenderDisparities #HealthcareResearch https://lnkd.in/geKksyv2

Global Study Issues Wake-Up Call for Women's Health The latest Hologic, Inc Global Women’s Health Index sends a clear message: Women's health is at a critical juncture globally. Key Findings: - Billions of women remain untested for life-threatening conditions. - Rising negative emotions and physical pain afflict more women than ever. - Access to quality healthcare and basic necessities remains a challenge for millions. As advocates for women's well-being, Visana Health emphasizes the need for immediate action. Employers play a pivotal role in prioritizing women's health in the workplace, ensuring access to essential screenings, mental health support, and safe environments. Let's collaborate to address these pressing issues and drive meaningful change. Read the full report to understand the scope of the challenge and explore opportunities for intervention: https://lnkd.in/g4znt_8k #WomensHealth #GlobalHealth #DigitalHealth #HealthEquity

I’ve been talking to many women lately regarding their health and wellbeing. One thing consistently stands out: constant fatigue and tiredness. Much of this has to do with iron deficiency or anemia, conditions that haven’t been discussed widely enough. Anemia is a global health challenge affecting millions worldwide. Women, particularly those of reproductive age, are especially vulnerable due to factors like iron deficiency, poor diet, and socio-cultural constraints. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝟑𝟏.𝟐% 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚, a condition characterized by reduced levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin, essential for oxygen transport. 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬:Women suffering from anemia may experience persistent tiredness, dizziness, and shortness of breath, making daily tasks and responsibilities more challenging. The immediate impact includes decreased productivity, impaired concentration, and, in some cases, complications during pregnancy such as increased risk of infections and fatigue. 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: If left untreated, iron deficiency and anemia can lead to severe health issues, including heart problems, weakened immune function, and cognitive impairments. For pregnant women, the risks extend to adverse outcomes like preterm birth and low birth weight, significantly affecting both mother and child's future health. Addressing anemia in women demands a unified strategy that merges health education, accessible care, and collaborative efforts across governments, healthcare systems, and global agencies. Ensuring affordable healthcare, addressing menstrual health stigma, and making aware of dietary risks are essential. 

New in the women's healthcare space: Five visionary companies, namely Paloma Health, Neura Health, LEVY Health, Seven Starling, and Origin, come together to form The Wonder Woman Collective. This strategic alliance is not just a collaboration, but a mission dedicated to mitigating the gender health gap. The Collective is aimed at improving healthcare outcomes, enhancing productivity, promoting health equity, and curtailing costs. With a focus on conditions heavily impacting women's quality of life, such as migraines, PCOS, menopause, and mental health disorders, their unified efforts work towards early diagnosis and better-integrated treatment plans. This initiative sets a precedent, reiterating that innovation, patient-centricity, and comprehensive care are not mere ideals but realities in modern women’s health. A giant leap forward in healthcare, The Wonder Woman Collective invites more companies to join, redefine, and raise the standard of care in women's health. #WomensHealth #Innovation #HealthcareCollaboration #TheWonderWomanCollective

The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for many to better consider how important their health is, but for a lot of people, their health has become even worse now than it was when the pandemic began. According to a new Hologic Global Women's Health Index survey, billions of women aren’t getting tested for deadly diseases, are continuing to suffer from various health issues, and are struggling to afford food. Hopefully, with the availability of more comprehensive and actionable data on global women’s health courtesy of Hologic and Gallup, regulators and healthcare organizations can take measures to address these gaps and meet the unanswered health needs of women around the world. #HealthEquity #GenderEquity #wellbeing

Women's health issues or just health issues unaccounted in the general research and ie. workplace policies? Women have been long discounted from medicinal intervention research and therefore face discrimination and unequal treatment for their health issues. Women's needs are not taken seriously enough. Sex and gender differences mean differences in disease and symptom distribution, differences in how they manifest and they also face completely different diseases related to their differences in physiology and anatomy. Women also react to medicine and treatments differently from men. Women have different menstruation related disorders, menopause and fertility related challenges. How are they accounted for in the workplace? Most care is given by women but healthcare is mostly lead by men. We need more women in leadership positions and leading innovations in healthcare. We need to come together to find radical solutions to account for these differences long been ignored and demystify women's health and well-being. #radicalhealthfestival2024 #radicalheathfestival #womenshealth #healthinequity

Talkspace & Labcorp’s Ovia Health Form Women’s Health Coalition - HIT Consultant #Talkspace & Labcorp Partnership Talkspace and Labcorp have joined forces to create a Women's Health Coalition aimed at improving healthcare outcomes for women. This collaboration brings together mental health and laboratory services to provide comprehensive care for women. #Benefits of the Women's Health Coalition The Women's Health Coalition offers a range of benefits for women, including access to mental health services through Talkspace and laboratory testing through Labcorp. This integrated approach ensures that women receive holistic care that addresses both their physical and mental well-being. #Focus on Women's Health The Women's Health Coalition is dedicated to addressing the unique healthcare needs of women. By focusing on women's health, this coalition aims to improve outcomes and promote overall wellness for women of all ages. ai.mediformatica.com #health #digital #talkspace #collaboration #digitalhealth #digitalsolutions #evernow #innovation #oviahealth #technology #fertility #menopause #healthit #healthtech #healthcaretechnology @MediFormatica (https://buff.ly/4bRxc4Y)

“If you don't make time for your wellness you will be forced to make time for your illness.” ~ Joyce Sunada Hologic, Inc. has released a very important study - "Screening Action Gap: Why U.S. Women Miss Critical Health Screenings." Findings include: 🏥 Although 90% of survey respondents knew regular screenings are important, more than 40% indicated they had postponed or skipped recommended tests completely. And unfortunately, the ones most commonly skipped were reported to be for #breast, #cervical, and #coloncancers, all of which have an excellent prognosis if caught early. ❓ Despite being aware screening was important, there was a gap with regard to knowledge about the specific tests/screening needed at a given age and the risk factors for the conditions for which screening would be performed. ⛔ Some of the barriers to screening included insufficient time, prioritizing others over themselves, difficulty finding health information, fear of pain, and being overwhelmed by their many responsibilities. The health and well-being of women are essential to families, organizations, and nations. It's way past time for them to get the level of societal support needed to optimize the wealth of health!

Stigma in women’s health ➜ Amplifying culture of silence Stigma is defined as a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or a group of people have about something, or a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. It is concerning that several aspects of women’s health issues are often considered taboo, which can lead to stigma that prevents women from receiving the care they need. This also leads to many women suffering in silence. A 2022 Simplyhealth survey outlines the magnitude of this problem: 😳 Nearly half of women are reluctant to discuss women's health issues with their doctor 😳 Women in the workplace reported feeling uncomfortable (40%) or embarrassed (36%) to talk about their health with their employer or manager. More than 40% of women were worried that they will be viewed as weak, and almost half of women didn’t believe that their issue will be recognized as an illness 😳 Nearly a fifth of women felt uncomfortable discussing miscarriage with their friends and family 😳 Menstrual cramps (33%) and Menopause (18%) were among the leading issues that women haven't discussed 😳 Half of respondents felt uncomfortable discussing post-natal health issues, including prolapse (25%) and post-natal incontinence (25%) with friends and family How can we normalize discussion on women’s health topics? 👉🏽 As we generate evidence to demystify the female body, we create opportunities for conversations in the physician community and accordingly with patients. A case in point is Apple Women's Health Study, which is addressing clinical gaps in menstrual health 👉🏽 Storytelling can be a powerful medium to raise awareness. A popular sitcom 'Sex and the city' is a primer in women’s health. It boldly discusses various women’s health conditions like infertility, menopause, breast cancer etc. as women advance through various life stages 👉🏽 Creating opportunities or forums at the workplace to openly discuss women’s health topics in the organization with allied groups can be an additional platform to drive discussion What are your thoughts to address stigmatism in women’s health? 👇🏽 #WomensHealth #FemTech #healthcare #breakingstigmas #healthequity #workplacewellness #healthtech #evidence #Apple #periodstories #digitalhealth #publichealth #research

30% of women's health conditions are misdiagnosed. As a result, women spend nearly 9 years of their life on average in poor health. Endometriosis, a debilitating chronic condition known to cause severe pain and fertility issues, is a prime example. The number of women affected is estimated to be anywhere between 24 million and 190 million – a five-fold difference. Adenomyosis, a sister condition of endometriosis is prevalent in hundreds of millions of women around the world. Yet it has received only two research grants from the NIH. Chronic illnesses in women are of two types: 1) Conditions unique to women, like endometriosis 2) Health conditions that affect women differently or more severely than men Too often, pain and symptoms reported by women are dismissed as “psychosomatic,” even for diseases that also impact men. A 21-year-long study conducted in Denmark showed how women were diagnosed later than men for over 700 diseases. Some were fatal: • For cancer, the delay was 2.5 years. • For diabetes, the delay was 4.5 years. This lack of data and misdiagnosis prevents women from getting the healthcare that they need – but it also seeps into how investors and researchers prioritize their needs. According to market trends, the tides are turning. Women’s health is a $43B market, and the market for solutions to non-gynecological chronic conditions has grown by 66% in the last five years. In 2023, 47% of women sought products uniquely tailored for them. Some companies to watch out for in this space: 1 in 3 women will develop pelvic health complications in their lifetime. Hyivy Health is working on smart rehabilitation products to solve these. Elanza Wellness runs a virtual healthcare platform for endometriosis patients. Grace & Able specializes in compression gloves and wrist support for arthritis patients. Looking ahead: Women are taking their health and quality of life into their own hands. This shift creates a vast whitespace for innovators to contribute to this movement. – For broader insights on women’s health and the market, read our full article, here: https://lnkd.in/gfEpd9tr