A Woman's Perspective: The Future of Women’s Health Is Personal

We are women who push through.

We push through exhaustion, pain, stress, raging hormones, and burnout and we do it with a smile on our face. We push. That’s what we do.

If we did pose a concern about a symptom or complication, it was either minimized or we were told to rub some proverbial dirt on it and keep pushing.

I wish I could say these were sentiments or that the stories I’ve heard or witnessed are from the past, but not all of them are. I’ve sat through horror stories of premature labor and death, disregarded pain that turned into stage 4 cancer, and being ignored while writhing in pain in the middle of an ER … followed by emergency surgery for a grapefruit-sized cyst twisting and cutting off circulation. She hadn’t even had her first baby yet and almost lost her ovaries.

Women face these issues every day. They are scared for their health, for their babies, and for their future… and for good reason.

Why?

We weren’t just forgotten. We were ignored.

Historically, male physiology was the default framework for diagnosis and treatment. Women were underrepresented or left out of medical research and clinical trials. Unfortunately, so were the conditions affecting women, including hormonal disorders, chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune conditions. Not only did these issues receive less attention, but they were also often misunderstood altogether. We are still playing catch up regarding research and women’s experiences resulting in delays in diagnosis across multiple health conditions.

On the quest to catch up, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the inequity runs deeper than gender. Health disparities are also prevalent among different cultures and according to research devastatingly so. The minorities of the minority see healthcare in a completely different light. Some of these women don’t see healthcare as care at all, but rather a gamble or death sentence depending on the symptoms. BIPOC women (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) experience gaps in healthcare across preventative care, cancer, disease, and obstetrics/gynecology, and this list is by no means exhaustive. Not income nor education can save these women. It’s all a part of a broken system built upon a one-sided foundation.

Black or African American women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications even across income and education levels. Latin American women are more prone to cervical cancer. Native American women tend to have higher cancer rates. The list continues and doesn’t even do it justice. What I have learned is that no matter the health issue, the walls are closing in just as fast as we are breaking through glass ceilings. But if there is one thing commonly known, it’s that women get the job done. We can work together to advocate for our fellow female and turn to prevention for a head start on a new healthcare initiative. Women’s health deserves to be mainstream too. Given the complexity and nuanced nature of women’s health, it should be.

There is an important point that needs to be emphasized when talking about healthcare. Women don’t need to be treated exactly like men. Women need to be thoroughly understood. That means hormones, metabolism, pregnancy, menopause, autoimmune disease, stress responses, and even medication reactions, all of these are different among women. If we are to better take care of women, we need to reassess how care is delivered and possibly create new care models.

At the same time, the future of women’s health cannot be dependent on any one system alone. Women are becoming more proactive about nutrition, exercise, sleep, mental health, hormone health, and preventative care. And that’s what we need, more women asking important questions, seeking second opinions, tracking symptoms, and wanting to understand how their body works. These questions and practices create what I call the 3 cornerstones of prevention: nutritional healing and prevention, aligned exercise and movement, and early mental/medical intervention. Preventative health will likely shape the next era of care. This is where the game of “catch up” turns into future innovation in lifestyle medicine, metabolic health, stress management, and long-term quality of life.

The future of women’s health looks more personalized, informed, and whole-body focused. It looks like women being listened to earlier. It looks like healthcare that supports energy, longevity, strength, mental well-being, and quality of life, not just survival. By no means is this a call to replace the current healthcare delivery system, but to enhance it. We do this by making information more accessible and sharing our stories with other women who may need the encouragement and the knowledge. But it starts with a reimagined approach guided by science-backed initiatives and research built on a solid foundation of real stories, effective intervention, and continuous care. And it continues to grow by nurturing a women’s health system that is based on trust, communication, empathy, and whole-body health.

We are at a crossroads will we continue to play catch up? Or will we come together and create the system of care we’ve always needed, accounting for all women?

This is where women can change everything.

We start today...

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The Research Behind This Conversation

Research continues to highlight major gaps in women’s healthcare, including delayed diagnosis, underrepresentation in research, and significant racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Preventative care, personalized medicine, and early intervention are increasingly recognized as critical areas for improving long-term outcomes for women. At Bodyficiency, we are starting a different conversation, one that goes beyond guessing and antiquated practices. We are building a new healthcare initiative for women and by women. This is where theory meets practice and science is translated into actionable steps. Be a part of a new women’s healthcare movement, one that is built on prevention, science, and female intuition.

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Read the Studies

Warren, A., Garrett, K., & Frame, L. A. (2025). Disparities in women’s health and clinical considerations from a translational science perspective: A narrative review and framework for future directions. Women's Health, 21, 17455057251399009. https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251399009

Macias-Konstantopoulos, W. L., Collins, K. A., Diaz, R., Duber, H. C., Edwards, C. D., Hsu, A. P., Ranney, M. L., Riviello, R. J., Wettstein, Z. S., & Sachs, C. J. (2023). Race, Healthcare, and Health Disparities: A Critical Review and Recommendations for Advancing Health Equity. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 24(5), 906. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.58408

McKoy, J. (2023, December 1). Racism, sexism, and the crisis of Black women’s health. Boston University. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/racism-sexism-and-the-crisis-of-black-womens-health/

Liddell, J. L., Burnette, C. E., Roh, S., & Lee, Y. S. (2018). Healthcare barriers and supports for American Indian women with cancer. Social Work in Health Care, 57(8), 656. https://doi.org/10.1080/00981389.2018.1474837

Pinkey, A., Anzuman, M., Desai, M., & Eiring, A. M. (2025). Advances in the understanding of health disparities in the United States Hispanic population. Journal of Cancer Biology, 6(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.46439/cancerbiology.6.076

Do, Q. A., Yang, J. P., Gaska, K. A., Knopp, K., & Scott, S. B. (2022). Centering Asian American Women’s Health: Prevalence of Health Care Discrimination and Associated Health Outcomes. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 10(2), 797. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01267-w