A call to women’s health

Apart from women’s bodies being targets for beauty standards, many are battling health issues making them feel less energetic, “moody,” and more anxious than ever. Women are at a greater risk for autoimmune diseases, they receive certain hormonal diagnoses seven to 10 years late on average, and mental disorders are frequently under-diagnosed. Before 1993, women were infrequently included in clinical trials. For more than 50 years, researchers would often use male mice in trials since female mice were pricier and their hormonal cycles were perceived as complex with which to work. In 2011, researchers made a call to action regarding a correction to female exclusion in clinical trials after finding that male mice were studied 5.5. times more than female mice. In 2025, we are finally seeing more interest toward women’s research, but it will take years to catch up and fill data gaps.

Unfortunately, the lack of research has caused devastating effects for women including myself. One morning in 2022, I woke up with agonizing abdominal pain. I texted my manager at the time letting her know I couldn’t come in. Honestly, I would’ve made a lot of customers unhappy if I showed up considering how terrible I felt. I had what was later diagnosed as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding, and dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps).

For women reading this, remember you are the expert of your own body. These symptoms were unusual for me and after three years of being told birth control was my only option without doing any testing, I was finally offered an ultrasound and blood panels. This is only half of what I’ve been experiencing and it saddens me to remember that morning when I called off my shift, especially since some team members ridiculed me for doing so. Unfortunately, women’s issues are extremely under-diagnosed and if it wasn’t for my own research and a running 20-page Google Doc, I would also be clueless about potential factors affecting my health.

I can speak for many women when I say reaching a diagnosis feels like an episode of “Wipeout.” We get shut down, but our bodies are still desperate for answers. It might be the reason why more than 700,000 Google searches per minute are health related. The gender percentage is unclear, but in a country that spends more than $4 trillion a year in health care, why are people playing doctor at home? Navigating the health space online has become dangerous for people with intolerable symptoms. Desperation makes it easy to find quick fixes that can cause more harm over time and randomized supplementation (which reached $69.3 billion this year), are big indicators that something is wrong. Americans have become so unhealthy, but considering the American diet as a whole, stress-induced health issues and environmental factors, it kinda makes sense. For women, this can severely harm hormone health across all ages causing fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, depression and too many other symptoms to count.

The trickiest part is, how can we begin to heal in a productive way? For starters, believe women. Putting in a lab order or providing an actionable step by a clinician is important. It makes women feel heard and can help uncover root causes, even if it takes further investigation. For conversations with family and friends, having a support system that is receptive to how you feel can encourage patient advocacy. When it comes to self-talk, use language that is self-affirming and hopeful. Once you start researching, do not head straight to an influencer’s YouTube channel without any professional experience. Instead, go online and read clinical studies or use well-known health care organizations to read articles. Lastly, your body is your biggest guide. Trust it to guide you in food choices, exercises and in the exam room at your next doctor’s appointment. Women deserve to feel energetic and comfortable in their skin, but it starts with listening and creating safe environments for healing.

I’d love to hear your stories about navigating health. Please reach out to giselle@smdailyjournal.com.

Giselle Espinoza is a longtime San Mateo resident with a bachelor’s degree in communications, working in health care administration. She brings a Gen Z perspective and slight coffee addiction.