Irene O. Aninye, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Society for Women’s Health Research

March is Women’s History Month, and in the health space, March is also dedicated to recognizing autoimmune, endometriosis, and sleep awareness, as well as commemorating Obesity Care Week, World Optometry Day, and National Doctors Day— just to name a few. Did you know that all these topics especially impact women’s health? Autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women, who make up over 80% of the individuals diagnosed. Endometriosis is a chronic gynecologic disease that uniquely affects women, with an under-estimated prevalence of 10%. Up to 90% of women with obstructive sleep apnea remain undiagnosed because their symptoms present differently than in men. These are three examples of chronic health conditions that women’s health advocates aim to re-write in today’s world, so that tomorrow’s history will tell a much healthier story.

The history of women in medical research, like many stories, interweaves painfully regrettable decisions with seasons of hopeful transformation, systems of inequity challenged by fierce advocates, and a constant evolution that brings us to present day. Only 50 years ago, FDA regulations actively discouraged the participation of women—particularly of childbearing age—in clinical trials. In 1990, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) was founded by Dr. Florence Haseltine and colleagues in clinical practice and research to advance women’s health through increased investment in the study of sex differences. This important conversation was elevated among researchers and health care policymakers alike. Over the last 35 years, SWHR has engaged in scientific and advocacy wins like the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, requiring the inclusion of women and minoritized populations in clinical research. In 2010, the Women’s Health Office Act secured infrastructure to address gender health gaps across key federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and FDA. SWHR also launched the Journal of Women’s Health, which has become a seminal platform for disseminating new knowledge and innovations in women’s health research and care. Most recently in March of 2024, SWHR and partners celebrated an executive order signed by President Biden as part of the first ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. We must keep up this momentum.

All SWHR programs, activities, and advocacy efforts are rooted in science. Our approach is based in facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations across research, health care, patient advocacy, and policy communities to identify and address knowledge gaps and disparities in women’s health. In celebration of our 35th anniversary this year, SWHR introduced a 2025 Women’s Health Research Agenda that highlights persistent areas of need in uterine health, autoimmune disease, and cardiometabolic health. The agenda proposes opportunities to accelerate basic research, improve health care delivery, and eliminate disparities unique to uterine fibroids, lupus, and metabolism in women across the lifespan.

More than 70% of women will develop uterine fibroids by the age of 50, with many experiencing disruptive symptoms that include pain, abnormal menstrual bleeding, anemia, and infertility. The influence of environmental exposures on the development of these benign tumors are not well-studied. Further, understanding the role of comorbidities and mitigating disparities in access to quality health care and treatment would help to improve outcomes for women.

Of the 1.5 million Americans with systemic lupus erythematosus (the most common type of lupus), 90% are women ages 15–44, experiencing widespread inflammation and organ tissue damage characteristic of this autoimmune disease. Characterization of clinical biomarkers and subsequent development of diagnostic tests and clinical guidelines could reduce the years of diagnosis and treatment delay experienced by many patients. Further health delays would benefit from studies focused on the impact of social determinants in disease management for women living with lupus.

Metabolism is an essential and dynamic set of processes throughout the body that regulate everything from body composition and energy to cell repair and waste removal. Biological sex and hormones play key roles in metabolism regulation that differ between men and women and across the lifespan. Sex and gender also influence incidence and interventions for cardiometabolic diseases, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease, which are compounded with bias and stigma surrounding weight norms, particularly for women of color.

As we continue to make concerted efforts to increase funding and investment in women’s health research, we must ensure all facets of women’s health—from maternal and gynecologic health to autoimmune and metabolic diseases—are included. We must promote participation of women across populations in clinical studies to better understand sex differences in disease. And we must prioritize the inclusion of patient voices in this work to drive solutions to inequities in access and care. With these efforts, we can make sure that health in the United States 10, 20, and even 35 years from now becomes more than just history—but her story, too.