Juhi Saxena
policy for a variety of diseases and conditions that disproportionately or differently affect women. Women’s health research is the study of health across a woman’s lifespan to preserve wellness and to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. It includes all health conditions for which women and men experience differences in risk, presentation, and treatment response, as well as health issues specific to women, such as pregnancy and menopause. Women’s health research considers both sex and gender differences and how these differences affect disease risk, The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is dedicated to promoting research on biological sex differences in disease and improving women’s health through science, policy, and education. Until about 25 years ago, essentially all health research was conducted on men. Women were actively excluded from participating in most clinical trials. SWHR is addressing unmet needs and research gaps in women’s health created by this historical bias in research and medicine. While the terms sex and gender are often used interchangeably in society, they have distinct definitions that apply in scientific research.
