Uncharted: Understanding women's health across the body

"Most health and medical data are drawn from research on male bodies. Until the 1990s, women were rarely included in clinical studies for fear of harming unborn children, and female animals were excluded from studies using model organisms because of a prevailing belief - now discredited - that hormonal fluctuations made their biology too complicated."

"This systematic exclusion has contributed to delays in diagnosis, drugs that are less effective or dangerous for women and the scarcity of evidence-based guidelines to address women's health needs. The little research that exists has focused mostly on 'bikini medicine' - equating women's health with their reproductive organs alone."

"This has left large data gaps in researchers' understanding of nearly every other health condition, including cancer, heart disease and dementia."

Jennifer Rabin's research into the connection between menopause and Alzheimer's disease revealed a critical gap in scientific knowledge about women's health. Historical practices excluded women from clinical studies until the 1990s due to concerns about harming unborn children, and female animals were excluded from laboratory research based on outdated beliefs about hormonal complications. This systematic exclusion has resulted in delayed diagnoses, less effective medications for women, and insufficient evidence-based guidelines. Research has predominantly focused on 'bikini medicine,' narrowly addressing only reproductive health while neglecting other major conditions like cancer, heart disease, and dementia. The NIH implemented a policy in 2016 to address these data gaps and promote more inclusive research practices.

Read at Nature