Women’s well-being and health is a topic that often goes overlooked and therefore, one glaring reality persists: the gender health gap. Nowhere is this divide more pronounced than in India, where women often bear the brunt of economic disparity, lack of awareness and cultural and geographical barriers to accessing adequate healthcare. According to the World Economic Forum and the McKinsey Health Institute, women spend 25% of their lives suffering from poorer health than men, which is partly because women’s health has been under-researched and for certain conditions, not diagnosed often, compared to men.
The report also states that today, the women’s health gap equates to 75 million years of life lost due to poor health annually, equating to a week per woman every year. With this, it is important to understand that women have diverse healthcare needs – from dealing with pregnancy complications to managing non-communicable diseases like thyroid disorders, heart diseases, cancer etc. Addressing these disparities is not just a matter of personal empowerment but a crucial step towards achieving gender equity in healthcare.
In an exclusive interaction with TheHealthSite.com, Dr. Meera Ragavan, Sr. Consultant Urogynecologist, Apollo Hospitals Chennai, stated the top 5 hidden health challenges that women are facing in the country right now. Let’s uncover and understand where is India lacking when it comes to women’s health.
Need for Gender-Specific Medicine
Recognizing the importance of tailoring medical treatment, based on varied gender complications is an issue that lacks proper awareness, even among health practices. The differences in anatomy between genders suggest that diseases and associated symptoms might affect men and women in unique ways. Take heart attacks for instance – women often have subtler symptoms of a heart attack than men, which can lead to missed diagnosis. Moreover, diseases such as dementia, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular stroke are observed at a much younger age for women than men.
In fact, one very common scenario that I’ve observed is that we often focus on urinary retention as a condition in men because their prostates tend to enlarge as they get older, causing common symptoms. They usually seek help from doctors sooner, leading to visits to urologists and considering medications or surgery. However, for women, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often treated based on symptoms alone, without much consideration for underlying issues like retention. Thus, in order to comprehend diseases properly, it is essential to view them via a gendered lens.
The Unspoken Struggles: Unveiling the Challenges of Women’s Health in India
Some may wonder why women’s health needs prioritisation. In a nutshell, simply because women are an important pillar of society and yet they continue to have poorer health outcomes:
Urinary Incontinence
Many women in India face a common issue called Urinary Incontinence, especially after having children or beyond the age of 40. This happens because the muscles in their pelvis get weaker. Sadly, many women think it’s just a part of getting older and don’t realize it needs medical attention. But, some things can make a big difference in managing this issue, like doing regular pelvic floor exercises, getting help from doctors when needed and making lifestyle changes.
Diabetes In Women
Another thing to consider is diabetes in women. If they’re overweight, shedding some kilos and controlling their diabetes can help with urinary incontinence. Just losing 5% of their body weight can make a huge difference, reducing incontinence by 70%.
Cardiovascular Diseases In Women
Most menacing of the NCDs among women are cardiovascular diseases and it is crucial to know that cardiovascular diseases affect women differently than men. We used to think that women were safe from heart problems until menopause because of their hormones but nowadays, with changes in how we live, that’s not necessarily the case anymore.
Hormonal Health Problems
Hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause can affect heart health. Women with PCOS are especially at risk because of their lower levels of HDL (High-density Lipoprotein) or ‘good’ cholesterol. In fact, we’ve seen something more worrying: women as young as 25 showing high levels of LDL (Low-density Lipoprotein), the ‘bad’ form of cholesterol. In such cases, making healthy choices like eating a balanced meal, staying active, and not smoking can be the solution to lowering your chances of heart disease.
Lack of Calcium After 30
Another very common health issue women face: is their bones becoming weaker (loss of bone density) faster than men’s. This happens because women usually have smaller, thinner bone structures, and their estrogen levels drop after menopause, which can lead to osteoporosis. To prevent this, it’s important to eat foods with lots of calcium and vitamin D, especially when you’re younger. This helps keep your bones strong. Also, addressing misconceptions and making smart choices is critical in preventing and keeping your bones strong and healthy.
Working Towards a Better Future For Women In Healthcare
It’s no surprise that when women and children are healthier, our communities do better. Healthier women mean families spend less on healthcare, which eases the pressure on public healthcare facilities and government budgets. All of this demonstrates that taking care of women’s health benefits families, communities, society, and the nation as a whole.
According to a Stanford University research report of over 4.2 million claims, there were 225,000 missing female hospital visits for cardiology, oncology, and nephrology care between 2017 and 2019. This indicates the need for more women to access healthcare services, ranging from wellness and prevention to curative care.
The potential benefits of bridging this gap are immense, and it is our collective responsibility as a progressive nation to collaborate and ensure healthcare accessibility for every woman. After all, the true benefits of Nari Shakti can be assured only by enhancing Nari Swasthya.
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