17 Facts About Women's Health That Might Just Blow Your Mind (And Make You Wonder Why No One Told You Sooner)
From pain being downplayed to conditions being ignored for years and years, the learning curve in just understanding the correct information about our bodies can be steep and lonely. But, if there's anything the internet is good for, it's finding community in the conversations that are far too often ignored.
Such was the case when the non-hormonal birth control brand @phexxi asked users to share one thing they wish they learned about women's health sooner:
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The responses were illuminating, validating, and honestly, overdue. I definitely learned (and fact-checked) a few things that blew my mind. Whether you've experienced these firsthand or are just learning along the way, one thing's for sure: you'll definitely feel less alone. Here's what people had to say:
Note: Some quotes have been adjusted for accuracy.
1."Women were largely excluded from most clinical medical research in the United States until 1993."
This had me shook — until the 1990s, women were routinely excluded from medical research, particularly early-stage clinical trials, primarily due to concerns about potential risks to those who could become pregnant. A 1977 FDA guideline barred women of childbearing potential and more from clinical trials, and it wasn't until the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 that the inclusion of women became a legal requirement in federally funded research.
While the exclusion was lifted, women are still underrepresented in many areas of medical research today, leading to gaps in understanding how diseases, treatments, and medications affect women differently from men.
2."Adenomyosis is real and never talked about."
Adenomyosis is when tissue that normally lines the uterus grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, sometimes causing heavy and painful periods and pelvic pain. Due to its variable presentation and shared features with other common gynecologic conditions, adenomyosis is commonly missed and difficult to diagnose.
Also, because of historical underreporting and underdiagnosis, the true prevalence and demographic breakdown of adenomyosis remain uncertain. Estimates have varied widely, from as low as 5% to as high as 70% (TF!?), though more recent studies suggest the condition affects approximately 20% to 35% of the population.
3."Cotton underwear during the day. None at night. Let her breathe."
Cotton underwear is less likely to cause allergic reactions than synthetic fabrics. It's also more breathable and absorbs (rather than sitting on top of the fabric) sweat and moisture that bacteria and yeast thrive on, per OB/GYN Erica Newlin, MD at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Newlin even recommends going commando at night (not during the day), particularly if you have a yeast infection or irritation. She wrote, "[At night,] wearing loose boxer shorts or pajamas increases air flow to the area and promotes healing." The more ya know!
4."IF YOU BELIEVE SOMETHING IS WRONG IN YOUR BODY AND YOUR DR BLOWS YOU OF GO TO A NEW DR!!! You just may save your own life! Trust yourself!"
Women's pain is more likely to be dismissed by doctors, leading to a denial of pain relief for a range of medical conditions. One survey found that one in three women felt dismissed and unheard by insensitive practitioners. Another found that women are roughly 66% more likely to receive a medical misdiagnosis than men.
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5."Supressing your emotions [may contribute to the onset of] autoimmune conditions."
While repressing your emotions won't guarantee you'll develop an autoimmune disease, research suggests that chronic stress and repressed emotions may contribute to the onset and progression of autoimmune diseases, which overwhelmingly impact women (as many as 4 out of 5, or 80%, of people with autoimmune diseases in the US are women).
6."If you have PTSD you [have an increased chance] to also get an autoimmune disease. Don't hold stuff in! Get therapy before the stress, lack of sleep, and constant anxiety ruin you forever with an incurable disease."
A 2018 observational study of 106,000 people in Sweden found that there is an increased chance of developing autoimmune disease in individuals who have a stress-related disorder, such as PTSD. While there's no surefire way to prevent these conditions, research suggests that lifestyle factors — like eating a nutrient-dense diet, limiting processed foods, being active daily, and lessening your exposure to environmental toxins — may help mitigate the risk.
7."Stop feeling bad for sleeping in. Stop feeling bad for having fluctuating emotions some days more than others. Stop feeling bad for eating more on some days. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Find doctors that believe you. Our bodies need different things."
Hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle can impact sleep, mood, and appetite. During the luteal phase, rising progesterone levels may cause fatigue and disrupt sleep. Shifts in estrogen and progesterone can also affect emotional well-being, sometimes leading to feelings of anxiety, sadness, or depression. These changes may also influence appetite, often increasing cravings — especially for carbohydrates — during the premenstrual and menstrual phases. So yes, your body is constantly responding to hormonal changes, and no, you don't have to feel bad about it.
8."the study of gynecology is built on racism. The father of gynecology was a slave owner that practiced procedures on enslaved black women and that is why there hasn't been many advances because women's health was built on torture."
James Marion Sims, often called 'the father of gynecology' (though, really, why does there need to be a father of this...?), conducted experimental surgeries on enslaved Black women without anesthesia, even though it was available at the time. He justified this by claiming Black women felt less pain, a racist and false belief with long-lasting effects in medicine. Sims also invented the vaginal speculum (yes, that big clamp tool used during exams), which tracks.
The legacy of Sims' practices still lingers today. Research shows that Black women are less likely to be believed about their pain and more likely to face serious complications in reproductive care, including a significantly higher risk of maternal mortality. Beyond unethical foundational figures like Sims, the broader study of women's health has suffered from systemic underfunding and persistent gender bias, slowing critical advancements in research and care.
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9."...[Ancient Greeks and Egyptians] thought the uterus moved around the body and had to be 'tamed' with suppositories and oils in order to get it in the 'right place' to get pregnant."
Although Serenus Sammonicus wrote medical texts and poems in ancient Rome (he's the first writer of "abracadabra," which was supposed to be a literary amulet against fever), the idea of the "wandering womb" (or, hystera) goes back even further to ancient Greek medicine. Hippocrates and his peers believed the uterus could literally roam around inside the body, causing illness if it strayed, an explanation for everything from fainting to "hysteria." They thought "fragrant smells" could coax the womb back to its "right place." Soooo, yeah, women's health has basically been thought of as "untamed," even mythical and mysterious (they literally thought an animal was inside of us...), for centuries.
10."Lift weights, ladies. They don't even have to be heavy. Osteoporosis is not talked about enough & it starts in your 20s. It's the difference between you falling & being hospitalized vs just being able to get back up ❤️."
Osteoporosis is a disease that silently weakens your bones, which can make you more prone to fractures and breaks. It's common in people over 50, especially in women who have gone through menopause. Experts believe half of all women over 50 have osteoporosis, per the Cleveland Clinic.
While it's typically associated with older adults, your bone health in your 20s can play a significant role. This is when you reach "peak bone mass," or when your bones are strongest. Lifestyle choices during this time — like staying physically active and eating a nutrient-rich diet with plenty of calcium and vitamin D — can help reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis later on.
11."when you're pregnant with a girl, you're also carrying her future grandchildren — epigenetics is real and has generational impacts!"
This is one of my favorite, fascinating things I learned about in my biology courses —when you're pregnant with a female fetus, you're also carrying all of the baby's future eggs. That means any environmental exposures during pregnancy (like nutrition, stress, or toxins) could potentially affect three generations at once: the mother, the baby, and the baby's future children. This is part of epigenetics, which looks at how our environment can influence how genes are expressed, without changing the DNA itself.
12."FIBER FIBER FIBER. I cannot stress enough how much this is linked to for women."
Most people in the US don't get enough fiber, despite it being a key nutrient for maintaining gut health and reducing the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Fewer than 5% of adults meet the recommended daily intake, which is 19 to 38 grams per day, depending on gender and age. For women, fiber supports digestion, hormone balance, heart health, blood sugar regulation, and may reduce the risk of hormone-related cancers like breast and colorectal cancer.
13."A 'pinch' for an IUD insertion isn't a pinch... it's a metal clamp through the cervix."
During IUD insertion, a physician often uses a tenaculum, a scissor-looking device made of metal or plastic (which, by the way, was literally inspired by a Civil War-era bullet extractor and hasn't changed much since) to grasp the cervix and keep it steady for the procedure. This can cause the "pinching" or cramping sensation people feel during insertion. Many women report that the pain of IUD insertion is often minimized or downplayed. In fact, just last year, the CDC updated its guidelines to recommend that patients be counseled on pain management options before the procedure (yeah, apparently that wasn't a recommendation prior...).
However, despite these updated guidelines, research on women's health and contraceptive-related pain still remains limited (and, as we know, doctors tend to underestimate women's pain, including the pain caused by IUD insertion). As a result, fully effective pain relief options (or better tools) are still lacking, such as the discomfort caused by the tenaculum.
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14."adhd manifests differently in girls."
Research shows that ADHD often presents differently based on sex: females are more likely to display inattentive symptoms (like trouble focusing or daydreaming), while males are more likely to show combined symptoms, including higher rates of impulsivity and hyperactivity. Because ADHD is more readily recognized when it involves external behaviors like hyperactivity, people, especially women and girls, who primarily exhibit internal symptoms, are more likely to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
15."Sign of a heart attack in women is JAW PAIN."
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, but women are more likely to die from it, according to a 2023 study presented at Heart Failure 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Some researchers believe this may be partly due to the lower recognition of how heart disease symptoms can differ in women. While chest pain is also common for women experiencing a heart attack, "more often than not, they have a combination of less-recognized symptoms such as nausea, indigestion, fatigue, [and] dizziness," according to Dr. Daniel Edmundowicz at Temple Health.
16."Female doctors have statistically better patient outcomes than male doctors."
Multiple studies have consistently shown that being treated by a female doctor may reduce the risk of death or serious complications following surgery or hospitalization, as reported by NBC News.
17.And lastly, "Having an extremely heavy period is not normal. Get checked for fibroids, endometriosis, cysts, get second & third opinions, don't stop until you get answers."
For me personally, it took 11 years to finally get treatment for endometriosis, and that was after years of excruciatingly heavy periods that left me nauseous, vomiting, and even passing out. I'm far from alone — endometriosis alone affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age worldwide, yet it typically averages seven to nine years to receive a proper diagnosis. As a teenager and college student, doctors repeatedly told me the pain was "normal" and simply prescribed birth control. Fortunately, I eventually found an incredible doctor in Canada who took my symptoms seriously, ran the right tests, and helped me find answers and treatment. If you're suffering with pain that you're told "is normal," even when it feels it's not, please advocate for yourself and ask for help.
Welp...anyhoo, I'm still stuck on the fact that the tenaculum still used in IUD insertions was modeled after a Civil War-era bullet extractor. That's just one (horrifying) example of how far we still have to go in improving research and care in women's health. I admire those leading the charge.
As always, it's best to consult your doctor for medical advice (and not a TikTok...or this article, to be fair). But if something feels off in your body, don't stop asking questions. You deserve answers.
What's your "wish I knew it sooner" fact about women's health? Drop it in the comments — let's keep the conversation (and education) going.
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