Woman sat at table holding a mug and smiling at the camera

By In-house Team, Circle Health Group

Accelerating Action: Helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health

This International Women's Day, we aim to accelerate action by helping those assigned female at birth make informed decisions about their health.

Falling on 8th March every year, International Women’s Day celebrates the accomplishments of women around the world, while campaigning for a world with greater gender equality.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is ‘Accelerate Action’, where the focus is on accelerating the rate of change across a range of issues disproportionately affecting women and girls around the world.

One of the core objectives of this year’s campaign is to accelerate action by addressing the gender health gap, reducing the impact of conditions disproportionately affecting women by helping those assigned female at birth make informed decisions about their health.

To do this, there needs to be greater awareness not only of these health conditions, but of how women and girls can detect symptoms and get the support they need, increasing the likelihood of earlier detection, diagnosis, prognosis and prevention.

What is the gender health gap?

The gender health gap describes the disparities in health equality between individuals based on their gender.

As a result of a lack of funding for research in women’s health topics and underrepresentation in clinical trials, people assigned female at birth have faced greater challenges with the healthcare system, from delays in receiving a diagnosis, to barriers to accessing adequate treatment, at times with fatal consequences.

Research conducted by the UK Government in 2021 found:

Stigmas due to systemic sexism in healthcare can prevent women from seeking health advice and support
Eight in 10 women have felt they weren’t listened to by healthcare professionals
More than 4 in 5 women said they, or another woman they knew, had not been listened to by healthcare professionals
The impact of female-specific health conditions such as heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, pregnancy related issues and menopause are often overlooked
There’s a feeling that services for conditions that only affect women are seen as lower priority than other services

As a result, despite having a higher life expectancy, women typically spend less of their life in good health compared to men – and while change is happening, this year’s International Women’s Day theme calls for change to happen faster.

What is women’s health?

Women’s health is a blanket term defining the physical and mental health issues specific to people assigned female at birth.

This term also encompasses every stage of medical for these health conditions, starting with symptom detection and diagnosis, through to treatment and prognosis.

What are the major conditions affecting women’s health?

A 2021 study by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) with nearly 100,000 respondents considered the following women’s health topics as priority areas for action and further research:

Menstrual health
Gynaecological conditions and cancers
Fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and postnatal support
Menopause
Mental health

Menstrual health

Menstrual health is a broad term that describes your mental and physical state in relation to your menstrual health, and can be impacted by the following factors:

Menstrual hygiene, including access to menstrual hygiene products
Information around the menstrual cycle and menstruation
External factors that can impact your menstrual cycle, such as stress
Certain gynaecological disorders

Gynaecological conditions

Gynaecological conditions are health issues affecting your reproductive system, including your uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, breasts and vulva.

Examples of gynaecological disorders include:

Urogynaecological conditions, such as those listed below, affect your pelvic organs:

Gynaecological cancers

Gynaecological cancers are cancers that start in the reproductive organs of people assigned female at birth, such as:

Cervical cancer
Ovarian cancer
Womb cancer
Vulval cancer
Vaginal cancer

Fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and support

Whether you’re weighing up contraceptives or hoping for a positive pregnancy, fertility is a major part of women’s health.

Fertility can be affected by various factors, from your general health and age to underlying conditions and gynaecological disorders. Likewise, it can influence your future decisions and impact mental health.

Notably, infertility can have a major impact on your mental health. You might find an underlying condition is preventing you from conceiving, and may consider in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to have a child.

If you’re considering conceiving, you may want to learn more about your monthly cycle to plan copulation around ovulation. From there, you’ll need support throughout your pregnancy, from getting an ultrasound to determine how far along you are, to making plans for delivering the baby, breastfeeding and starting a new chapter as a parent.

In the event of pregnancy loss, you may find yourself experiencing a range of emotions and will need support to help you through such a difficult time. You might consider counselling, or may need to take compassionate leave from work.

Menopause

Typically affecting women between the ages of 45 and 55, menopause is the point when a person assigned female at birth stops having periods and can no longer get pregnant.

Due to a decline in oestrogen and progesterone levels in your body, menopause can cause the following symptoms:

Hot flushes
Night sweats
Difficulty sleeping
Pain during sex
Irritability
Forgetfulness
Joint and muscle discomfort

As a result, you may find you need support managing menopause symptoms, making your menopausal transition smoother.

Mental health

No matter your age or your circumstances, you may find you need support with your mental health at any point in your life.

Whether you’re going through a tough period or have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, you may find your mental health can impact the quality of your life.

Depending on the symptoms you’re displaying, you could be diagnosed with one or more of the following:

Anxiety and panic disorders
Bipolar
Depression, including peri- and postnatal depression
Dissociation and dissociative disorders
Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia or orthorexia
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Paranoia
Phobias
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosis
Schizophrenia

While some people may have a genetic predisposition to developing a mental health disorder, mental health issues can be brought on by external stressors. These stressors can be long-term, ongoing problems that eventually take their toll, a singular traumatic event, or a change in circumstances.

How can we accelerate action in women’s health?

As mentioned above, there are many facets of women’s health that can affect people assigned female at birth at different points in their life.

While there are many ways we can accelerate action as outlined by the International Women’s Day campaign, one of the core objectives for this year’s campaign is to help women and girls make informed decisions about their health.

Research by the UK Government in 2021 found that of nearly 100,000 respondents:

17% had enough information on menstrual wellbeing
14% had enough information on gynaecological cancers
9% had enough information on menopause
9% had enough information on female genital mutilation and sexual assault centres
8% had enough information on gynaecological conditions

To combat this, making information around these topics more widespread is fundamental.

How to stay informed on women’s health matters

Conduct your own research

There are plenty of resources out there on women’s health matters, starting with Circle’s very own Women’s Health blogs.

Whether you’re looking for signs and symptoms of different gynaecological conditions or are curious to learn more about your vaginal health, conducting your own research can help you learn more about your body and feel more confident taking action if something doesn’t seem right.

Recognise what’s normal

How your symptoms present and what is ‘normal’ for you might not be the same as someone else, even if you have the same condition. Therefore, it’s important to get acquainted with your body, as it’ll make it easier to spot changes that may need immediate attention.

Breast checking

As many of the first signs of breast cancer are visible, getting to know what your breast area – your breasts and the surrounding tissue – look like, it’ll be easier to notices any changes in size, shape or texture.

To check your breasts or chest:

Start by looking at your breasts or chest in a mirror. Get to know what they look like when your arms are by your side and when raised
Feel your breasts or chest in a circular motion, starting at the front before working your way to the side of your breasts or chest, up to your collarbone and under your armpits
Use your fingers to feel for any lumps or hardened knots
Finally, feel around and over both nipples

If you notice anything new, or any of the following changes, contact your consultant immediately:

A new lump on your breast or armpit
Thickening or swelling in part of your breast
Irritation or dimpling of your skin
Red, flaky skin around your nipple or breast
Nipple inversion
Nipple discharge, including blood
Any notable changes the shape and size of your breast
Pain in any area of your breast

Cervical screening

More commonly referred to as a smear test, a cervical screening is a test that checks cervical health and can help prevent cervical cancer.

People assigned female at birth will be first invited to have a cervical screening around their 25th birthday by letter. While it’s not compulsory to go to a smear test, it’s highly recommended.

During the test, your nurse will use a speculum to hold your vaginal walls open, enabling your gynaecologist to see your cervix. You gynaecologist will then scrape a small sample of cells from your cervix using a soft brush to send off for testing. Overall, this test should take no longer than 5 minutes in total.

The cervix cell sample will then be checked in a lab for types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to your cervical cells. This HPV is known as high risk, as it can cause can precancerous lesions which, if left untreated, can cause cervical cancer.

If no HPV cells are found, you won’t need another test for 3-5 years. If HPV cells are found, your sample is checked for any cell changes, and action can be taken if any changes are noticed.

By getting a smear test, not only can your consultant determine whether you have high risk HPV, but they can monitor you closely, and intervene if any cell changes are detected.

Menstrual cycle tracking

While the average menstrual cycle is around 28 days, a normal cycle is considered to be anything between 21 to 35 days. If you find the gap between your periods extends beyond 35 days or is less than 21 days, your periods may be irregular.

Irregular periods can be a result of myriad factors, such as stress, exercise and medications, but sometimes an underlying health issue may be to blame.

The following conditions are associated with irregular periods:

Endometriosis
Pelvic inflammation
Fibroids
Adenomyosis
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Hypo- or hyperthyroidism
Cervical cancer
Womb cancer

To notice if something in your menstrual cycle is awry, it’s recommended you find a way to track your cycle length, including the length of time between your periods starting, to how long your menses last and the heaviness of your flow. You might also wish to track other factors, such as changes in your mood, your skin and your libido.

You can start tracking by using an app, diary or calendar.

If in doubt, get a second opinion

If you’ve been to visit your GP and still feel as though something isn’t right, or if you disagree with your GP’s diagnosis, don’t hesitate to get a second opinion.

Due to a lack of research in women’s health matters and male-dominated clinical trials, women’s health matters can be misdiagnosed or dismissed, resulting in delayed diagnoses and delays in receiving adequate treatment.

Endometriosis is a prime example here – a study conducted by the University of York found that it takes seven years on average to diagnose endometriosis, with a lack of knowledge among patients and healthcare professionals cited as one of the key factors in delays.

Sometimes, these misdiagnoses can have fatal consequences. A study by the University of Leeds found that more than 8,200 women in England and Wales could have survived their heart attacks had they been given equal treatment as men.

With this in mind, if you can’t shake the feeling that your GP’s got it wrong, don’t hesitate to get a second opinion, or reach out to a specialist directly.

Accelerating action with Circle Health Group

At Circle Health Group, we are passionate about Women’s Health. Along with our specialists, we want to be part of the solution, helping to reduce the gender health gap and making sure everyone has access to the healthcare they need, as and when they need it.

If you are struggling with any of the symptoms or conditions discussed above, and would like to speak to an expert about diagnosis or treatment options, call or book online today to arrange a consultation. Our experienced specialists are ready and waiting to help you.