Women’s health has been historically marginalized, unavured, underlined often misunderstanding. While interest and investment around the health of complex women have increased, we are still far from offering significant results to women at scale.
Case in question: endometriosis is a weakening and limiting condition of life that affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age worldwide, however, it has still been diagnosed and treating with precision 4-11 years. Similarly, polycystic ovary syndrome or pcos impacts between 6-13% of women of reproductive age worldwide, and 70% remain without diagnosing.
These gaps continue to shape women’s medical care experiences today and perpetuate a subdiagnosis diagnosis culture, criminal treatment, delayed and ineffective and expensive procedures. I have spent my career legalizing through a more inclusive and patient focus for women’s medical care, and encourages me an industry that finally, if it is slowly, driven in part by women who refuse to accept diisals or routine symptoms.
Whole person approach
In the health of women, fragmented care and the treatment of symptoms by individual specialists, very common. Women have therapists or psychiatrists for anxiety and depression, cardiologists for their palpitations, neurologists for their migraines and rheumatologists for their chronic fatigue, all of which could be a relationship with metabolic and hormonal imbalances. The person’s approach to medical care can provide more effective, compassionate and personalized care. However, climbing this approach remains a challenge.
Women need comprehensive health solutions from menstruation to the years after menopause that improve immediate health coneros, such as pain and fatigue, while improving long -term well -being and quality of life.
For example, a woman with endometriosis can find pain relief without hysterectomy by combining a new diet with medications and iron supplements. A woman diagnosed with osteoporosis may need help to develop a plan to avoid falls and incorporate high intensity resistance training in addition to or instead of standard medications that have significant side effects for many.
However, these proactive treatment plans are overlooked or worse, not only as a consultation. More critically, as a professional, we still do not have a standardized way of tracking and measuring proactive treatment methods for women on scale. And as the saying goes, what is not measured is not measured.
Shared decision -making model
The health industry increasingly reflects the understanding that actively involving patients in decision -making leads to better adhesion and results.
A shared decision -making model supports the continuous bidirectional dialogue between the supplier and the patient. He acknowledges that the work of a health professional is to provide patients with all the information they need to make the best decisions for themselves.
This model is particularly important for women, given the historical dismissal of their concerns by the medical community and often complete research and understanding of their condition, which can result in competition treatment options. By offering information about all Avia options to women, we can help them understand pros and cons, taking into account how these treatments can align with their individual health and lifestyle objectives. We are also very clear to discuss what is known, which is true and what is simply unknown about your condition and treatment choices.
When adopting this approach, we eliminate the patriarchal model and make women’s partners in their care and treatment decisions, made up of their values, preferences, health objectives and life circumstances.
Advancing with confidence
Too many women have experienced the impacts of living with gynecological conditions while feeling fired and struggling to obtain attention. Women deserve something better, already measure that we collectively challenge obsolete norms, we are beginning to see the improvement.
Even so, there is much more work to do. While women’s health may be having their moment, we are far from closing gaps in research and delivering equitable health results.
The best place to start? When listening to women when they tell us what is happening in their bodies. From there, a more intentional and coordinated approach is needed through the regulatory, research, treatment and attention to make a really scale change.
Photo: Asnidamarkani, Getty Images
Barbara Levy, MD, FACOG, FACS, is a lifetime advance to advance the quality of women’s health. Dr. Levy was in private practice and served as a medical director for women and children’s services for the Franciscan health system. She was chosen as the first woman president of AAGL in 1994-1995. In 2012 Dr. Ir. Levy joined the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (welcome). She built a quality, security and computer equipment dedicated to support the improvement of medical care for women. Their research interests cover from the investigation of results in minimally invasive gynecological surgery to optimize attention for women with chronic pelvic pain. His clinical work focused on comprehensive evidence, equitable and comprehensive care for women through the course of their life. Today, Dr. Levy is the medical director of Visana Health, a virtual women’s health clinic that transforms the provision of care from menstruation to menopause.
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