Change is critical in women’s health. 

There has been progress in terms of women being able to live longer with their pregnancies, yet there is a high proportion of women who do still die in labour. This year on World Health Day, the World Health Organization’s spotlight was on maternal and newborn health—to improve the survival rates for women and their newborns.

Progress has also been made with breast cancer, since more women than ever live after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, yet we still need to find out why breast cancer occurs for so many women. In 2024, it was estimated in Canada that 30,500 women would be diagnosed with breast cancer—25% of all new cancer cases. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Women need to be pro-active and learn more about how they can minimize their breast health risks. Whether you are a woman with both breasts still intact, a partner supporting someone with breast cancer, or a woman going through your own cancer journey, you are your own best advocate for your health. 

Greater awareness of the issues is needed. By highlighting some common women’s health issues, women can learn if and where they are on the spectrum, and find support within these various groups to help with specific health concerns. 

According to Women’s Health Issues Journal, there is a gender gap—since women’s health is still seen as a niche topic. This is improving, but women’s health is still under-represented in research and under-valued by the medical profession. The Global Alliance for Women’s Health says women are the foundation of healthy families, vibrant communities, and prosperous economies. Despite this, profound gender gaps still slow progress with serious repercussions for global economies. According to the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute, women worldwide spend 25% more time in poor health than men. 

An example of this gap is that women were not included in any research trials on health conditions until the 1970s, which meant that there was a false assumption that women’s cardiovascular health is the same as for men. In her book, Women Are Not Small Men, Nieca Goldberg pointed out that women experience heart disease in a fundamentally different way than men do. A woman’s heart attack is not the same as a man’s; the symptoms of heart disease and signs of impending heart attack differ for women, and once heart disease has been recognized, women often do not get the treatment and medications they need. 

According to the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, the nine top conditions in 2025 for women are menopause, PMS, endometriosis, maternal hypertension, post-partum hemorrhage, migraine, ischemic heart disease, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. The reasons that these conditions are a concern are often due to lack of access to information, limited ongoing care, and decreased treatment effectiveness.

National Institutes of Women’s Health researchers have made a chart showing a matrix of women’s health conditions that are most prevalent in our society. Breast cancer, maternal disorders, pregnancy complications, perinatal depression, premenstrual dysphoria, and menopause depression are key areas where disability and early mortality can occur; whereas endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and pelvic floor disorders are more likely to be disabling; with cancers such as uterine, cervical, ovarian, and endometrial often leading to early mortality.  Other conditions affect women disproportionately:  mood disorders—anxiety and depression, musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, mental health, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and autoimmune disorders such as lupus.

Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health goes beyond the sex and gender binary, as they prioritize women’s health. One campaign is Pad it Forward, designed to address period poverty by providing women with access to essential menstrual products, if they are unable to financially cover the costs.  Moon Time Connections, a national indigenous-led group, works with them. Three in five women aged 18–24 feel compelled to conceal their periods at school or work—possibly coming from a place of shame instead of honour, or at the very least, acknowledgment. They are also involved in a Mental Health Run and a Giving Shelter campaign to support 310 women’s shelters across Canada. They believe all women should have access to the care and support they need to be healthy and safe. There are more than two in five women experiencing some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. This violence has a direct and negative impact on the health of women and their families. 

In May 2025, the Women’s Health Coalition of Canada held an awareness week to educate the public about key issues, as well as lobbying the government to provide funding for women’s health research. It is committed to creating a movement to speak openly and educate with purpose to address menstrual, reproductive, and sexual health. They have a variety of webinars, on, for example, pap tests for cervical cancer, trauma informed care and menopause; a podcast on topics such as migraines and hormones, and menstrual leave at work, and other events.

There are many opportunities in place in Canada to change the inequity in women’s health. Another example is the Femtech organization, a women’s health network initiative operated by Innovation Factory, that connects women with the resources and support they need to build or make tools, or products such as menopause trackers, or breast pumps, or bras for implants. 

In Saskatoon, there is a Women Leading Philanthropy group at Royal University Hospital (RUH) that, through donors, supports groundbreaking women’s health research projects.  Also, the Women’s Midlife Health Program focuses on providing support to women on these health issues: bone/osteoporosis, heart, breast, and skin. 

In conclusion, if you, as a woman, see yourself as having any of these women’s health conditions, or if you see your partner, family member, or friend, with them, encourage them to reach out to get their needs met, from either their doctor, other healthcare professional, or any of these groups mentioned who can provide education and support. You can become involved in a variety of activities such as the CIBC Run for the (Breast Cancer) Cure, on October 5th, or if you want to volunteer by becoming involved in advocating for equity in women’s health, join me in working towards this goal!

Credit: A New Vision for Women’s Health Research: Transformative Change at the National Institutes of Health; Geller, Salganicoff, and Burke.

Pam Fichtner, RMT and SE practitioner, loves working with people in a variety of capacities—inside and outside her healing space. She was also a lay chaplain with the Saskatoon Unitarians, which allowed
her to create ceremonies for weddings, handfastings, blessings, and funerals. She enjoys creating and leading earth-based spirituality rituals throughout the year in large groups such as Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. She feels ceremony enriches her life and it is a gift that she can give others. See her display ad on page11 of the 31.3 Fall 2025 issue of the WHOLifE Journal for more information, and go to her new website: sephirahealing.ca.