The importance of women’s health research: a call for action

The importance of women’s health research: a call for action | Image Credit: © Rido - © Rido - stock.adobe.com.

Despite women comprising more than half of the US population, women’s health research has historically been underfunded, underprioritized, and overshadowed. This oversight has led to significant gaps in understanding how diseases manifest and progress differently in women as well as conditions specific to women, leaving countless women’s health issues inadequately addressed.

The National Institutes of Health uses a computerized reporting system called Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC) to categorize biomedical research funding annually. This includes extramural research grants, research and development contracts, intramural research, and interagency agreements. Interestingly, in 2018 and prior years, the RCDC code for women’s health used subjectively defined criteria and assigned funding based on percentages of female participants included in the studies, not based on the focus of the research. In 2019, the RCDC code was revised to focus on research of women’s health-related topics.¹

Despite a near 100% increase in NIH RCDC funding over the past decade, research funding for women’s research has increased just 11% (Figure).¹ Furthermore, the change to focus on women’s health-related research rather than the number of women in clinical trials in 2019 resulted in a net decrease in women’s health RCDC funding. The percentage of the NIH budget that goes toward women’s health research is just between 8.8% and 10.8%, remarkably low given women represent more than half of the US population.^2,3

In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of research tailored specifically to women’s health needs. A 2025 report from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and a new White House initiative highlight the critical need to expand and focus research on women’s health.^3,4

One of the most striking aspects of the current landscape of women’s health research is the continued underrepresentation of women in clinical trials and studies. For years, research predominantly focused on male subjects, if results would apply equally to women. As a result, many diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect women—such as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and gynecological conditions such as endometriosis—are poorly understood or misdiagnosed. This gap in knowledge has led to real-world consequences, as women continue to experience worse health outcomes due to insufficient research.

The NAM’s 2025 report sheds light on this issue, emphasizing the pressing need for more research into women’s health conditions. The report calls for a comprehensive overhaul of research funding and policies to ensure that women’s health issues receive attention, and a primary recommendation is the creation of a new Women’s Health Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

Advocating for more research into conditions such as menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, and mental health issues such as postpartum depression, which are frequently overlooked, is needed. Women are also more likely to experience chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and lupus, which are often misunderstood and underfunded in terms of research. As the NAM report highlights, these conditions disproportionately impact women, yet they are frequently underresearched and underfunded relative to their prevalence and significance.

In addition to the NAM’s recommendations, the White House launched an initiative on women’s health research, which has further highlighted the urgency of addressing the needs of women in health care. Announced in 2023, this initiative is a comprehensive effort to improve women’s health outcomes across the country. It focuses on increasing funding for women’s health research, addressing women’s health across all ages and stages from reproductive health through maternal health, menopause, and healthy aging, and ensuring that women’s health issues are prioritized in health care policy. The initiative aims to break down longstanding barriers to health care access for women, particularly those from marginalized communities. By increasing funding for research and creating a more inclusive and equitable health care system, the White House for the first time positioned women’s health as a national priority.⁴

Women’s health includes reproductive health, an area that has become increasingly politicized. With the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, access to reproductive health services has been restricted in many states, adding urgency to the need for comprehensive research on reproductive health. The White House initiative emphasizes the need for research into contraception, fertility treatments, and the long-term effects of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period on women’s health.

The call to action is clear: policymakers, researchers, and health care providers must prioritize women’s health research. By increasing funding, expanding research efforts, and ensuring that women’s specific needs are addressed, we can begin to close the gender health gap and improve the well-being of women across the country. As health care providers, it is essential to advocate for and integrate these findings into our practices to ensure that women receive the best possible care.

Ultimately, the future of women’s health hinges on comprehensive, well-funded, and inclusive research that prioritizes the unique needs of women. The NAM report and the White House initiative are critical steps toward achieving that goal, but the real work begins with ensuring that these recommendations are acted on, not just discussed.

References

1. National Institutes of Health. Estimates of funding for various research, condition, and disease categories (RCDC).. May 14, 2024. Accessed January 6, 2025. https://report.nih.gov/funding/categorical-spending#/
2. Temkin SM, Noursi S, Regensteiner JG, Stratton P, Clayton JA. Perspectives from advancing National Institutes of Health research to inform and improve the health of women: a conference summary. Obstet Gynecol. 2022;140(1):10-19. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004821
3. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Burke SP, Salganicoff A, Geller A, eds. A New Vision for Women’s Health Research: Transformative Change at the National Institutes of Health. The National Academies Press. 2025. Accessed January 6, 2025. https://doi.org/10.17226/28586
4. The White House. The White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. 2024. Accessed January 6, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/womenshealthresearch/