Why is women's health different from men's?
The gender health gap explained

What children and moms have told me

Why a man's body is different from a woman's body

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The female body is built with different materials

The female body is built differently from the male body. Women have a different hormone balance, a different immune system and a different way of absorbing and breaking down medicines. Unlike men, the composition of a woman's hormones changes throughout her cycle. Even the knees differ: women have a different knee structure and are several times more likely to injure their knee ligaments in sports, which is why they benefit from a different warm-up.

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The medical world often looks at a small part of the body at a time. It is as if you want to know how a tree grows best and discover that fuller leaves come from more sunlight, while forgetting that the air quality, the soil and the plants around it play a bigger role. Women's health asks for a holistic view: of the body, the cycle, the hormones, the environment and the life she leads.

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What is the gender health gap?

The gender health gap is the difference in health and care between women and men. Women live longer than men on average, but they spend more years in poor health. According to the McKinsey Health Institute, women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. More than half of that burden comes from conditions that are more common in women or show up differently in women.

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Closing this gap is a great opportunity. The same research calculated that better care for women could add an average of seven healthy days per woman each year, more than 500 days over a lifetime, and up to one trillion dollars a year to the global economy by 2040. Every euro invested in women's health brings multiple returns in wellbeing, work and family life.

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Four out of five people with an autoimmune disease are women

In an autoimmune disease, the immune system turns against the body's own tissue. Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Sjögren's syndrome are examples. Around 80% of the people living with an autoimmune disease are women.

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The female immune system reacts more strongly than the male immune system. This protects women well against many infections, and it also makes the immune system more sensitive. Hormones play a role, and so do the X chromosomes: women have two, men have one. In 2024, researchers at Stanford University discovered that a molecule called Xist, which is active only in women, can trigger the immune system. The US National Institutes of Health called this an important new clue to why most people with autoimmune diseases are women.

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Autoimmune diseases often take years to be recognised, and many women first hear that their fatigue or pain "is just stress". Women's immune systems deserve more research, more knowledge among doctors, and care that takes early signals seriously.

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Medicines work differently in women's bodies

For decades, medicines have been tested mainly on men and male animals. The female body has a different hormone and immune system, and often reacts differently to medication.

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Women are often more sensitive to medicines and need less for the desired effect.

A study by Irving Zucker and Brian Prendergast (2020) analysed 86 approved medicines. Women showed higher concentrations of the medicine in their blood and took longer to break it down. In more than 90% of cases where women experienced more side effects, this matched these higher levels. Overall, women experience side effects almost twice as often as men. A well-known example is the sleeping pill zolpidem: in 2013 the American regulator halved the recommended dose for women, more than twenty years after the medicine came on the market.

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Medicines can be life-saving, and it is always wise to discuss questions about side effects or dosage with your doctor or pharmacist. Care that takes women's bodies into account starts with research that includes women.

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Women's complaints deserve to be taken seriously

Women are more often sent home with the same complaints as men, and more often receive a psychological diagnosis when the cause is physical. A heart attack, for example, can show different symptoms in women: besides chest pain, women more often experience fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea or pain in the back, jaw or stomach. Research from the University of Leeds showed that women with a heart attack were 50% more likely than men to receive an incorrect first diagnosis.

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Menstrual complaints, hormonal complaints and conditions such as endometriosis often receive too little attention, while they determine the quality of life of many women. Heavy pain and heavy bleeding are signals worth investigating. Fortunately, more and more doctors, many of them women, are specialising in the female body and its hormones. When you visit a doctor, trust what you feel in your body. Check whether the doctor asks all the important questions and explores all possibilities with you.

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Food, frequency and your hormones

Hormones and energy are the building blocks of your temple. When the glands that produce your hormones are healthy, well nourished and in balance, you feel fit, cheerful, ambitious and balanced. Food and drink play a central role in this balance.

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Everything consists of energy, including the cells and organs in your body. Minerals and vitamins correspond with frequencies. Your body communicates with food on an invisible level and "reads" the minerals and vitamins in it. That is how your body tells you that you crave carrots, tomatoes or something else. This useful survival mechanism of our ancestors is still active today.

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The quality of our food has changed. Research from the University of Texas (Davis and colleagues, 2004) compared the nutritional value of 43 vegetables and fruits in 1950 and 1999, and found declines of up to 38% in nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin C and riboflavin. Pesticides, depleted soil and crops bred for size and yield all play a role. Many processed foods also contain added sugars, which influence blood sugar and hormones.

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When your body receives pure, nourishing food, your glands can keep producing hormones in balance. Fresh, unprocessed and organic food, seasonal vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts support your body. After three months of eating organic, my own cycle became stable, my blood sugar improved, and I had more energy and less hunger. Your body tells you what it needs. You can learn to listen to it, and a doctor or dietitian who knows hormones can help you find what fits your body.

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Plastic, make-up and care products

Your skin is a breathing organ. What you put on your skin and hair is partly absorbed into your body. Many care products, such as make-up, shampoo, lotion and toothpaste, contain substances such as parabens and phthalates. Plastics can release substances such as BPA into food and drinks, especially when they are heated or when they touch fatty foods.

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These substances are called endocrine-disrupting chemicals: substances that can mimic or disturb the body's own hormones. The Endocrine Society, the international association of hormone specialists, warns that endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastics, pesticides and personal care products pose a health threat worldwide, including to fertility and the hormone system. Research also shows that such substances can influence oestrogen levels.

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The good news is that you can make a difference every day. Choose glass, stainless steel or ceramic for food and drinks, heat food in glass instead of plastic, and choose care products with natural ingredients. More and more brands offer products without parabens and phthalates. Every small step lightens the load on your body.

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The pill and your hormones

The pill and other hormonal contraceptives are very practical for preventing pregnancy. They work by changing your hormones, and in doing so, they change you a little too. Many women notice that their mood, energy, desire or ambition changes while they use the pill. When I used the pill, I had less ambition and adapted more easily to others. Without the pill, I had more dreams, strength and a clearer sense of my own boundaries.

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Research confirms that the pill affects more than fertility. A large Danish study among more than one million women (Skovlund and colleagues, JAMA Psychiatry, 2016) found that women using the combined pill were more likely to start using antidepressants, especially teenagers. The combined pill also slightly increases the risk of thrombosis (blood clots): from about 2 in 10,000 women per year without the pill to about 5 to 12 in 10,000 with the pill, depending on the type. Some studies suggest the pill can even influence which partner a woman finds attractive, through scent.

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Every woman deserves full information about how contraception affects her body, so she can make a conscious choice. Discuss your options and experiences with your doctor or midwife, and listen to how your body responds. The choice that fits your body and your life is yours.

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Your cycle is the rhythm of your life

Hormones are the foundation of a healthy body. They regulate your growth, your transformation from girl to woman, your menstruation, your cycle and your menopause. They influence how you feel, physically and emotionally, your energy and the way you see life. The cycle of a woman usually lasts about 28 days. The cycle of a man lasts 24 hours.

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Your cycle is more than a monthly menstruation. Your cycle is the rhythm with which you lead your life. It belongs to your body and soul, just like your arms or legs. In some weeks you are more creative and inward, in others you have more energy to travel, organise and act. Your appetite, your view of people and even your choices can change with your cycle. When you get to know your cycle and embrace it, including its quieter sides, you can live in harmony with yourself.

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Your cycle also follows the seasons. In winter you may feel more tired and long for rest, reflection and cocooning. In summer the days are longer and you move more and enjoy nature. The year cycle of the Earth is like the cycle of a woman: building up, full energy and ripening, slowly letting go, and preparing for a new cycle. This shows your deep connection with the Earth.

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Care in the Matriarchal World

In the Matriarchal World, medicine is highly advanced. People learn to see and understand the body before they treat or operate. Every body is different. A diagnosis is always made holistically: people look at the physical complaints and especially at their cause. Is it a small error in DNA or cell division, or is the cause emotional or external? People learn to talk to their pain and ask the body what it needs. There are plenty of natural medicines, such as plants, herbs and stones, and when you cannot find the answer yourself, there is always someone who can help you.

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This vision can inspire the care of today: care that sees the whole woman, listens to her body and her story, and combines medical knowledge with lifestyle, nutrition, rest and healing.