HUSHED HEALTH

Hushed

Health 39 VIM

W m o e n ’s Health: A Hushed H e a lth Disparity *

Health varies between individuals and is impacted by many different factors. But when these factors, like gender, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, create drastic differences in the health of different people, it causes a health disparity. When looking at women’s health, there has long been a lack of research that has caused lasting issues.

The deficiency of women’s health research is deeply rooted in former health policies. In the past, research rarely focused on women as medical policies reflected the lack of gender equality in society. In an interview for Fortune, Afton Vechery, CEO of a reproductive health company that provides personalized fertility information, said “The Food and Drug Administration excluded females of ‘childbearing potential’ from clinical trials from the years of 1977 to 1993.” At the time, the FDA defended this policy by claiming that women and men’s bodies were very similar, so men’s research could be applied to women.

Although medical research has come a long way since then, with advancements such as in vitro fertilization, the birth control pill and increased breast cancer screening, women’s health research is still lacking. In an article from The Washington Post, psychology professor Sarah Hill said this lack of research is linked to the extensive funding this research would need. The female hormone cycle includes multiple fluctuating hormones and phases, so when conducting research with female participants, the three different hormone cycles must be systematically controlled, which requires more participants and time. Still, the added cost is not an excuse for the underrepresentation of women in health studies.

The consequences of the lack of research are exemplified by contraceptive methods and their side effects. Birth control revolutionized women’s ability to take control of their health and conception; however, the benefits of contraceptive methods for women come at a relatively high cost. According to an article from The Conversation titled “Birth control continues to fail women – so why has nothing changed?,” University of Oxford researchers say that there are numerous negative side effects to birth control, including the risk of depression, decreased libido and bloating. Some of the most damaging side effects are an increased risk of hypertension, stroke and deep vein thrombosis, a condition where blood clots form in the legs. Every method of contraception, whether a pill, implant or IUD, can have varying side effects depending on the individual, which creates a challenging process of trial and error for women. And though there is research about the effects of birth control, the majority is either contradictory, inconclusive or not extensive enough. Thus, more research is required to investigate the variability of side effects or determine a better option for women.

The lack of research in women’s health has also led to the underdiagnosis of neurological disorders in women. Specifically, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is significantly more underdiagnosed in women compared to men, with 50 to 75% of ADHD in girls going undiagnosed, according to Capital Area Pediatrics.

In an article for the BBC, science and health writer Kelly Oakes explained that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder categorized into three types. The first is the inattentive type, which includes a tendency to forget things, struggle with organization and get easily distracted. The second is the hyperactive type, which can display fidgeting movements, low attention span and a tendency to interrupt conversations. The third is the combination type, which includes characteristics from both previous types.

There are specific criteria used to diagnose a person with ADHD, many of which play a role in the underdiagnosis in women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in order to diagnose ADHD in children, they must have about six of the symptoms listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Some examples include being easily distracted, talking excessively and having trouble organizing activities and tasks. Another specification in the diagnostic criteria is that these symptoms must affect more than one aspect of life such as school, work or family life.

A study done by clinical child psychologist Anne Arnette for the University of Washington found that there is a difference in the ADHD symptoms linked to sex, and girls tend to show less severe or broad symptoms than boys. While boys with ADHD can be more hyperactive and aggressive, girls tend to exhibit more inattentive behavior, which often goes unnoticed. The study suggests that because female symptoms are those considered less severe, they are diagnosed less frequently than males. According to Capital Area Pediatrics, social conditioning could be another factor influencing the underdiagnosis of ADHD in women; girls are often socialized to please other people and are more susceptible to overcompensating for their symptoms in order to do so, which can make it harder to diagnose.

When ADHD goes undiagnosed, it can become more of an interference and may lead to anxiety or depression in girls. ADHD and birth control are just two examples of the effects of the research gap. Knowing the problem exists is the first step in changing it. With greater representation in the medical field, both in research and in practice, the coming years could bring greater improvement for women’s health.

STYLE: HALEY POAG WORDS: NAVYA KALIA PHOTO: MILAN LAZOVSKI GLAM: OVYA VENKAT, DENAYJAH BRADLEY41 VIM