Have you ever taken a moment to ponder the majesty of the female reproductive system? Whether that’s the miraculous way the uterus lining injures and then repairs itself flawlessly every 28(ish) days. Or the magic of ovulation, where a chemical release causes the finger-like projections at the end of the fallopian tube to sweep up a released egg.

Despite these medical marvels, for centuries, this area of anatomy has been ignored and understudied. A search within the clinical trials database uncovers significantly fewer mentions of menstruation compared to topics such as semen and seminal fluid.

Alongside the unnecessary suffering for those affected by the associated conditions, new data shows the far-reaching impact of the underinvestment in female health. Research in the UK found that neglecting women’s health in the workplace was costing the British economy €24bn a year. When half the world’s population suffers, we all suffer.

But reproductive health researchers are doing great work to give this area the attention it deserves. One such pioneer is Hilary Critchley, Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and member of the Women’s Health Innovation Panel at the BioInnovation Institute (BII).

She began her career studying medicine before specializing in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. However, an experience in the middle of her studies established her passion for women’s health research: “I had exposure to what you would now call translational research. I analyzed generously donated human tissues at the bench to understand more about a clinical problem. I saw directly the power of science working beside the patients,” explained Professor Critchley.

This work led to a beautiful full-circle moment. After several years of studies working with patients without ovarian function, she supported one of these women with the birth of their baby.

Exploring the unexplored

Professor Critchley’s work continues today with a deeper look at menstruation and a focus on abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). This symptom has long been neglected thanks to its complexity and societal stigma. But it is shockingly common; research suggests as many as 1 in 3 women are affected by AUB or heavy menstrual bleeding.

However, the recent surge of women’s health consumer products, particularly the ready availability of digital cycle tracking tools, has pushed the issue into the spotlight. More women are now able to spot that their bleeding is not ‘normal’. Plus, social media has made it easier to spread the word on previously hidden conditions.

Professor Critchley believes the combination of these two factors has positively influenced interest in this field of research: “I do not doubt that modern technologies and the movements in how we communicate have helped progress in this area.”

What does the future of care look like?

But, with the patient voice rising, the call for solutions is louder than ever.
Professor Critchley believes the answers lie in bringing together scientific advances alongside better patient understanding: “We’ve got to get better at personalized care when it comes to treating menstrual disorders. We need to use the full toolkit of tests and tools to help us understand why certain things are happening to patients. This needs to include more work done at the bench, but we need to ask more questions about family history, other conditions, and their use of contraceptives and hormone preparations. It’s vitally important we listen to the experiences of the patients themselves. We require all of this to form the bigger picture.”

Without this broader view, we’re missing the knock-on effect of many female health conditions. Problems with heavy bleeding or menstruation, for example, can cause anemia or iron deficiency. If this goes undiagnosed and that woman then conceives, there are possible implications for her pregnancy outcomes. “We need to stop looking at these problems in silos,’ explains Professor Critchley.

The future of women’s health needs a multi-disciplinary approach where teams come together to examine the problem and solution.

But the consequences go deeper than that. By investing the time, energy, and resources into better understanding the workings of the female body, there is an opportunity to progress advancements in the rest of science, too. “If we understand how the reproductive system works, if we understand sex as a biological variable, we can use that understanding when studying the heart, the lung, or the brain.”
As Professor Critchley attests, women’s health researchers can significantly impact the academic and scientific world.

Far from a niche area of interest, the implications could profoundly influence multiple areas of medicine: “Understanding these physiological events and the profound impacts of sex hormones and other steroid hormones is so informative to elsewhere in the body. Reproductive and menstrual health are not specialist fields; they are big and significant. By working in this area, you can make a huge difference.”

Advancing women’s health requires sustained change

The women’s health market has flourished in recent years. Analysts report that the female wellness industry is poised for significant growth. Professor Critchley, however, remembers a similar surge in public interest in the 1990s. But it failed to gain long-lasting momentum. Professor Critchley believes commitment is needed to avoid this happening again: “This is a long journey, and we just need to make sure that there is a continuous feed of those who care and want to make a difference. If you help one sector of society, it has a knock-on effect on those around that individual.”

The future of women’s health depends on a healthy pipeline of researchers and advocates pushing these discussions and studies forward. “We need more institutions like the BioInnovation Institute passionate about sustained change in women’s health. They help send a clear signal that this work is important,” enthuses Professor Critchley.

With patient power and tech tools in place, now has never been a better time to reverse the centuries of female health neglect through high-quality, translational research. The impact could be world-changing.

Interested in exploring the commercial perspectives in your research? BII’s Venture Lab program is currently open for applications – including the Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health Track. Apply here no later than January 29th, 2025.