Women's Health

Anya Sizer

Women's health for so long has been the subject of a lack of care and medical focus, and so it was heartening and hugely encouraging to attend the Create Health foundation (www.Create Health foundation.org) report launch in the House of Lords recently. Speakers included the formidable founder of Create Health Foundation , Geeta Nargund , Baroness Merron Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care  and perhaps most importantly of all a patient who spoke movingly and honestly about her years of neglect with Endometrisosis , and who challenged us all to collectively do better .

The headlines of the report are stark with 34% of women with symptoms or a diagnosis of a women’s health condition saying it has affected their

ability to work. 

15% of these women report having had to go down to part time working hours as a result of their symptoms. And 14% have had to quit a job altogether as a result of these symptoms.

There is therefore an ethical and moral case for better investment but the statistics also urge us economically to do more especially in light of the Government's key growth agenda . 

There are four main calls from the report

Raise awareness of community Women’s Health Hubs and expand them to offer One Stop Diagnosis using ultrasound and blood test facilities .

Work with employers for better workplace policies.

Invest in better training and education for medical professionals.

Put women’s health and fertility issues on the secondary school curriculum.

As someone with over twenty years experience in the fertility sector this last point is one that many of us have been calling for over the years. Fertility education can so often be massively reductive with still too much emphasis on not getting pregnant rather than the realities of a fertility cycle and healthy awareness of reproductive issues .

As professor Joyce Harper has stated :

“Shortcomings in fertility education in schools  mean that students are left feeling both ill-informed and negative towards their own fertility and ability to have children.”

A recent paper published in Health Education Journal, showed there were still significant gaps in young people’s education – and that teenagers are not being taught about key reproductive issues such as endometriosis, infertility and the impact of lifestyle on fertility.

Certainly from the experience of the patient who spoke so bravely at the event a lack of robust teaching in schools had been part of the reason for her own lack of awareness and lack of agency to advocate for herself 

The Labour party in their Manifesto stated that :

“Never again would women's health be neglected “ and we are truly grateful for this commitment along with a health secretary determined to bring in reform and patient focused care . But women's health must be part of that commitment not as an add on but as a central objective . When women's health is prioritised it is not just women who benefit but all of society and so as we urged upon at the event it is collectively on us all to do better .

As Fabians we have long campaigned for better emphasis, support and investment for women's health and crucially from an intersectional perspective . We know for example that black women are disproportionately affected in terms of fertility support but also in terms of birth outcomes . It is vital therefore that any campaigning include all women's voices and cross all racial and socio economic divides . At the recent Fabian Health and care mission summit this was certainly a central theme when addressing any of the issues from mental health to preventative issues . Women's health in policy and now in practice under a Labour Government must remain at the forefront of decision making .

Labour ,as the government of change and with a proud history of championing social justice, has an opportunity now for a truly positive reset of health issues . 

But it is on us all to keep the momentum up going forward