The Next Era of Women’s Health | Future of Health Summit 2025

Key Trends and Statistics

• Women were not allowed in clinical trials until the 1990s, leading to delayed recognition of sex-specific dosage requirements (e.g., Ambien).
• The Alzheimer's breakthrough drug, Leqembi, shows significantly higher efficacy in men, despite women being 2–3 times more likely to develop the disease.
• Approximately 80% of women in the U.S. will develop uterine fibroids before menopause.
• Black women are affected by fibroids 2–3 times more frequently than other demographic groups, with unknown etiology.
• Annual statistics show 600,000 hysterectomies performed in the U.S., with 90% for non-cancerous conditions and 39% specifically for fibroids.
• In contrast, testicular cancer accounts for only ~10,000 removals of male reproductive organs annually.
• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, while cancer is the second leading cause.
• Women are more prone to under-diagnosed and undertreated heart attacks due to atypical symptom presentation.

Funding and Policy Decisions

• First Lady Jill Biden facilitated the signing of a federal executive order to prioritize women's health research.
• The federal government allocated $1 billion specifically toward women's research and funding initiatives.
• Private sector momentum has emerged to fill gaps as government engagement shifts, with venture capital and philanthropy increasingly focused on women's health.
• Insurers are beginning to expand coverage for menopause support, including specific offers for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans.
• Lupita Nyong'o launched the "Lupita Nyong'o Fibroid Research Grant" via the Foundation for Women's Health to fund non-invasive treatment research.
• A bipartisan coalition of senators and congresswomen is currently advancing a legislative package focused on fibroid research and care.

Clinical and Systemic Challenges

• Medical providers often offer surgery (hysterectomy) as a first-line treatment for fibroids, despite the lack of effective non-invasive alternatives.
• The "paternalistic" nature of historical medical practice has led many women to seek information via social media and alternative medicine.
• Physician-patient dialogue is strained by time constraints, as increased patient loads reduce the ability to provide holistic explanations.
• Women's health has historically lacked priority in reproductive health and fertility research, resulting in a data void for clinical decision-making.
• The NIH has faced funding cuts, creating concern over setbacks in advancing women-specific therapies.
• Artificial Intelligence and digital health tools present a risk of inheriting historical gender biases if trained primarily on male-centric data.

Advocacy and Future Directions

• Lupita Nyong'o advocates for early screening of fibroids, noting that current protocols often require patients to persistently insist on ultrasound or MRI tests.
• There is a push to reclassify fibroid surgery from "elective" to medically necessary, aligning it with other common procedures like wisdom tooth removal.
• Experts urge the medical community to "believe women" and improve patient trust to reduce the reliance on potentially misinformation-ridden social media sources.
• Future research focus is recommended to shift toward post-menopausal issues, including osteoporosis, hair loss, and dementia.
• Jill Biden highlights that as women live longer, they will control the majority of generational wealth and health product purchases, necessitating a consumer-driven approach to care.
• The panel emphasizes the need for transparency in AI-generated medical information, requiring users to verify sources before making health decisions.