Society on Women's Health
Defined by 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, this life stage typically occurs in a woman’s late 40s or early 50s and is often accompanied by symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings, yet remains understudied and stigmatized.
What is menopause?
PCOS stands for this condition, characterized by hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, and often ovarian cysts.
What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
Hormonal fluctuations can trigger this common mood disturbance in the days leading up to menstruation.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
This reversible contraceptive device is inserted into the uterus and can remain effective for years, significantly reducing the risk of pregnancy.
What is an intrauterine device (IUD)?
this type of birth control, known to have mood-related side effects, was originally tested only on men despite being primarily used by women.
what is oral contraceptive pill?
Due to workplace structures and societal expectations, women who become mothers often face stalled career progression and lower wages, a phenomenon known by this term.
What is the motherhood penalty?
Often called the “female hormone,” this hormone plays a key role in regulating the menstrual cycle and can fluctuate with conditions like PCOS.
What is estrogen?
Historically, women’s physical or emotional complaints were often dismissed as stemming from a “wandering womb,” a notion that gave rise to this term labeling them as overly emotional.
What is hysteria?
Known as “test-tube babies,” this assisted reproductive technology fertilizes an egg outside the body, offering hope to those struggling with infertility.
What is in vitro fertilization (IVF)?
the name of the tax that is practice of charging more for products marketed to women, like razors and shampoos, is an example of gender bias in the economy.
what is pink tax?
Historically, men’s health was seen as the “default,” leading to this phenomenon where research and healthcare systems focus disproportionately on male bodies.
What is androcentrism?
An underactive thyroid gland can cause fatigue and weight gain, and is more common in women.
What is hypothyroidism?
An extreme variant of postpartum depression, this rare condition involves delusions or hallucinations and demands immediate medical intervention
What is postpartum psychosis?
Pills, patches, rings, and injections are among the forms of this family-planning method that allows women to control the timing of pregnancy.
What is hormonal contraception?
this hormonal disorder is often diagnosed 7 to 10 years late due to a combination of normalization of pain, medical bias, symptom overlap
what is endometriosis?
A common barrier to women’s health equity is the notion that women’s pain is exaggerated—often dismissed under the outdated label of “hysteria,” creating this harmful bias.
What is the pain bias?
Women with PCOS often have an excess of these hormones—such as testosterone—leading to symptoms like hirsutism (excessive body hair).
What are androgens?
Juggling household tasks, scheduling appointments, and remembering birthdays—often on top of paid work—contributes to stress and burnout for many women, a phenomenon referred to by this term.
What is the mental load?
Marked by the abnormal growth of muscle tissue in the uterus, these noncancerous tumors can cause heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and fertility challenges.
What are uterine fibroids?
percentage of women that felt that their symptoms were dismissed by medical professionals
what is 84%?
In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a worldwide ban on this harmful practice, recognized by the WHO as a serious violation of women’s health and human rights.
What is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)?
This rare but serious disorder involves excess cortisol production from the adrenal glands, causing weight gain, high blood pressure, and other systemic issues.
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
When women are expected to excel simultaneously as employees, mothers, caregivers, and partners, they face this unrealistic cultural standard that can lead to chronic stress and anxiety.
What is the superwoman syndrome?
A rare but dangerous pregnancy condition in which the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall, often leading to severe bleeding at delivery.
What is placenta accreta?
the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act
What is the 1993 law mandated that women and minorities must be included in all NIH-funded clinical trials, aiming to reduce gender bias in medical research.