Fk That.

Let's be honest, the current state of women's health is, to put it mildly, a "shit show." 

The statistics are jarring.

Here’s what the numbers show—no sugarcoating, no spin.

• Dieting: Women spend an average of 17 years dieting. About 95% of diets fail, leading to weight regain and long-term metabolic disruption (Mann et al., 2007, American Psychologist).
• Gut Health: 75% of women report ongoing gut health issues, including IBS, bloating, and food sensitivities (Shah et al., 2014, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology).
• Sleep: 1 in 3 women rarely or never wake up feeling well-rested; over 80% say fatigue impacts their daily life (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2022).
• Insomnia: Women are 40% more likely than men to suffer from insomnia (Zhang & Wing, 2006, Sleep Medicine Reviews).
• Depression: Women are nearly twice as likely as men to experience and be diagnosed with major depression (WHO, Depression Fact Sheet).
• Menopause: Symptoms like night sweats, mood swings, and brain fog can last up to 10 years. Only 7% of health practitioners feel confident supporting women through menopause (Hamoda et al., 2021, BMJ Open).
• Alzheimer’s: Women account for two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases (Alzheimer’s Association, 2024).
• Cancer: Women under 50 are nearly twice as likely to develop cancer as men in the same age group (World Economic Forum, 2024).
• Chronic Illness: Women live in poor health for 25% more of their lives than men (World Economic Forum, 2024).
• Chronic Pain: Women are 75% more likely than men to experience chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia and migraines. Their pain is often dismissed or undertreated (NIH, 2023).
• Autoimmune Disease: Women are 80% more likely than men to suffer from autoimmune diseases, which are frequently underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in women (NIH, 2023).
• Heart Attacks: Women are 50% more likely than men to receive an incorrect diagnosis after a heart attack. Their symptoms are more likely to be dismissed or misattributed (BMJ, 2016).
• Research Funding: Five times more research funding goes to erectile dysfunction (affecting 19% of men) than to premenstrual syndrome (affecting 90% of women) (BMJ, 2018).
• This is not a niche problem. These are not rare exceptions. This is the baseline for women’s health globally.

The evidence is clear: women’s health is systematically neglected, underfunded, and misunderstood.

These statistics are not just numbers; they represent countless women enduring preventable suffering, feeling unheard, and struggling to thrive.

This isn't a lament; it's a rallying cry.

Women's bodies are  intricate, resilient, and incredibly powerful, and they deserve tailored attention.

Let’s Go!

The good news is that understanding the problem is the first step toward a solution. 

You deserve the best, so what does that look like?

An ideal future would look like;

1. Research is Equitable: Funding and focus are directed towards conditions that impact women disproportionately.
2. Healthcare is Personalized: Practitioners are educated and confident in addressing the specific needs of women at every life stage.
3. Women are Empowered: We have access to the information, resources, and support to advocate for our own health and make informed choices.
4. Our Voices Are Heard: Our experiences of pain, fatigue, and hormonal shifts are validated and taken seriously.

What to do in the meantime?

There’s a well-circulated stat that up to 80% of chronic diseases can be prevented or improved through lifestyle changes—nutrition, sleep, movement, stress reduction, and avoiding harmful substances.

That’s true, in principle.

But here’s the problem: that data assumes a level playing field. It assumes accurate diagnoses, tailored medical support, fair access to care, and systems that work.

For many women, that’s not the case.

Ignoring Systemic Barriers: It's incredibly difficult to consistently implement healthy lifestyle changes when you are:

• Exhausted (1 in 3 rarely wake up well-rested).
• In chronic pain (75% more likely to suffer from chronic pain, often dismissed).
  Struggling with mental health (twice as likely to experience depression).
• Navigating a healthcare system that dismisses your symptoms or provides incorrect diagnoses (50% more likely to receive incorrect heart attack diagnosis).
  Lacking access to healthy food, safe spaces for exercise, or affordable mental health support.

The "Knowing vs. Doing" Gap: Many women know what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, but the demands of modern life, the impact of chronic conditions, and the lack of systemic support make it incredibly challenging to consistently implement. The "17 years on diets and 95% fail" statistic speaks directly to this. It's not a knowledge gap, it's an implementation and sustainability gap, often exacerbated by underlying health issues that aren't being adequately addressed by the medical system.

Under-researched Women's Specific Conditions: While lifestyle helps overall health, conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, and the unique nuances of menopause (which are severely under-researched and understood by practitioners) require specific, targeted medical interventions alongside lifestyle support. Lifestyle alone can't fix a condition that is fundamentally misunderstood or ignored by the medical community.

If your symptoms are dismissed, if your pain is under-treated, if your fatigue is blamed on “being busy,” or your reproductive health concerns are minimised—you’re not starting from the same baseline.

So yes—lifestyle matters. But it’s not the full story.

Women's health outcomes are shaped not just by their choices, but by the systems surrounding those choices.

We need to recognize both:

1. Personal agency and proactive health habits
2. And the need for better research, inclusive diagnostics, and practitioners who actually understand women’s biology

Final Word

We don’t wait.

We arm ourselves with knowledge. We do our best to do better.

We listen to our bodies, not dismiss them.

We stop apologizing for complexity.

We’re not “hormonal.” We’re biologically sophisticated.

We don’t need to be “fixed.”

We need to be understood, respected, and taken seriously.

We lean on and leverage the best.