Special
“The cost of living crisis pushes women with chronic conditions into poverty – I am one of them”
By Isabella Fricker, women’s health advocate
Social isolation, stigma and discrimination might describe how many women with long-term health conditions are feeling during the austerity of the cost of living crisis.
I am one of the hundreds of thousands of young women in the UK living with long-term health conditions that affect their abilities to live independently during the cost of living crisis.
In the past eight years, I have been struggling with chronic conditions like endometriosis, chronic fatigue and vulvodynia, alongside many other unpredictable and debilitating symptoms. I have been unable to work full-time, in-person or remotely.
The co-morbidity of endometriosis, alongside chronic fatigue, has affected my ability to work, even part-time, resulting in a huge loss of income and lost career opportunities, especially when recovering from surgery and managing extended periods of post-exertional malaise (PEM). My heart goes out to all the women experiencing long Covid, chronic fatigue syndrome and other similar conditions.
My life as a young woman trying to forge a creative career in London after university took an unexpected turn. In 2014, I was diagnosed with a borderline ovarian tumour, losing my left ovary at the age of 25. Signed off, I took out a loan to survive, followed by laparoscopic surgeries in 2019 and 2021 for severe endometriosis and IVF preservation funded by the NHS.
When my health has allowed me, I have worked part-time as a visual stylist, customer service executive, creative packer, housekeeper, copy editor and proofreader. I decided to train as a yoga teacher and women’s health therapist, in the hope that one day I could support women at all stages of their life.
Over the years, I have budgeted for counselling, acupuncture and supplements to support the management of my health which has been a huge financial strain.
Loneliness and social isolation, low self-esteem, stigma and discrimination might describe how many women with long-term health conditions are feeling during the austerity of the cost of living crisis.
The security of affordable housing and the lack of properties are making it impossible for women to meet the rise in prices and rental criteria, especially since the local housing allowance has been frozen for the past three years.
I have moved 12 times in over a year which has taken a huge emotional and physical toll. Agencies require a guarantor who is earning 36 times the monthly rent. In some cases, they even ask for six months rent upfront. How can women with long-term health conditions afford that?
Living at home has never been an option for me because my sister has severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Therefore, over the past 18 months, I have stayed with extended family and friends, house-sat, rented Airbnb’s and short-term summer rentals, before securing a one-bed annexe in the summer of 2023.
Women need social independence and financial security. We can’t expect every woman to have savings, or to rely on partners and family.
Furthermore, women who can carry out part-time work won’t always be earning enough to reach economic independence. Women have always been overrepresented in part-time jobs, zero-hour contracts, fewer career opportunities and lower pensions. Not to mention the gender pay gap.
I have been on government support due to my low income. However, the support is not enough to meet the rise in inflation.
If this continues, women with long term-health conditions and disabilities will be pushed into further poverty, resulting in worsening health, preventing them from saving and trying to work in the future.
Women shouldn’t have to cut back on essentials, especially if they require heating to aid any pain or discomfort relating to their condition.
In November 2023, it was announced by the government that hundreds of thousands of people will be told to look for work they can do from home, or face having their benefits cut.
I would like to put questions forward to the government:
Will there be enough, if any, part-time, remote roles for women with long-term health conditions?
Where is the support to find these specific roles?
How can someone with a long-term health condition be expected to work remotely full-time or even part-time if they are unable to?
For those women, trying to enter back into work, support should be offered without any threats to benefits.
Since the world of flexible-hybrid working started post-pandemic, the job market has become increasingly competitive. Reading many online forums, women are failing health assessments. In my opinion, the government and assessors need to understand that people’s symptoms with long-term health conditions vary from day to day.
Navigating the benefits system has made me feel like a third-class citizen. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Health Assessments for UC, ESA and PIP are gruelling. I wouldn’t wish anymore to enter the system to just get a small amount of money that financially only covers the bare minimum. The system needs a total overhaul due to the systemic failings of a broken benefit system.
Femtech companies and women’s health charities need to lead, support, campaign and even employ women with long-term health conditions.
Not every woman will be able to work a part-time 30-hour week. Women have so much potential, but they need the opportunity to thrive in flexible and supportive working environments.
Everyone deserves a warm place to live, nutritious food, fair work, government support and a sense of independence and security – these are the fundamental building blocks of a happy and healthy life.
Isabella Fricker is a UK-based women’s health advocate and yoga teacher at yogawithizy.co.uk.
Former US first lady Dr Jill Biden visited Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London to explore work on women’s health and antimicrobial resistance.
The visit was hosted by professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, who chairs the Fleming Initiative and directs Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation.
Dr Biden, chair of the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network, spoke about the impact scientists, clinicians, innovators and investors can have on improving women’s healthcare.
Dr Biden stressed the importance of “collaboration, prevention and education” in improving women’s health globally.
At the museum, Dr Biden and Esther Krofah, executive vice-president of health at the Milken Institute, heard about the worldwide significance of the discovery and the contribution of women who, during wartime Britain, grew penicillin in bedpans to support early experimentation.
The discussion also explored how AMR is a key women’s health issue, with women disproportionately affected in low and middle-income countries, and in high-income settings where women are more likely than men to be prescribed antibiotics.
Dr Biden was shown an architectural model of the Fleming Centre in Paddington, which will bring together research, policy and public engagement to address AMR worldwide.
The second part of the visit brought together Imperial clinicians, researchers and innovators for a roundtable on women’s health priorities, including improving diagnosis, equity in maternity care and support during the menopause transition.
Participants highlighted wide variation in the quality of care for conditions affecting women and called for fairer access to services, with the postcode lottery named as a priority to address.
Professor Tom Bourne, consultant gynaecologist and chair in gynaecology at Imperial’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, described how AI could improve diagnostic accuracy for conditions such as endometriosis.
Equity emerged as a central theme.
Professor Alison Holmes, professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London and director of the Fleming Initiative, highlighted persistent gaps in women’s representation in clinical trials, including antibiotic studies, which limits the ability to optimise care and treatments.
Dr Christine Ekechi, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, drew on national maternity investigations to underline the importance of valid data, meaningful engagement with affected communities and rebuilding trust.
Menopause and midlife health were also identified as priorities for clinical research.
Professor Waljit Dhillo, consultant endocrinologist and professor of endocrinology and metabolism in Imperial’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, described a new treatment for hot flushes, including for women unable to take hormone replacement therapy, such as those with a history of breast cancer.
The discussion then turned to bringing innovation into health systems. Innovators shared how data and technology are being used to close gaps in women’s health, while noting challenges in accessing funding to grow and scale.
Dr Helen O’Neill and Dr Deidre O’Neill, co-founders of Hertility Health, described predictive algorithms using self-reported data to help diagnose gynaecological conditions at scale.
Embedded into clinical workflows, the technology could reduce waiting times, identify conditions earlier and improve outcomes. They noted how “we have cures for the rarest genetic conditions but don’t even have the answers to common women’s health issues.”
Dr Lydia Mapstone, Dr Tara O’Driscoll and Dr Sioned Jones, co-founders of BoobyBiome, outlined work creating products that harness beneficial bacteria found in breast milk to support infant health.
By isolating and characterising key microbial strains, BoobyBiome has created synbiotics, combinations of beneficial bacteria and the food that nourishes them, to make these benefits accessible to all babies.
Speakers throughout the visit stressed the need to reduce variation in care quality and outcomes for women, strengthen prevention and education, and address power and equity in women’s health.
Professor the Lord Ara Darzi said: “It was a privilege to welcome Dr Biden and the Milken Institute to Imperial to meet some of the outstanding researchers, clinicians and innovators advancing women’s health.
“Imperial’s unique combination of clinical excellence and world-leading research positions us at the forefront of tackling the biggest health challenges facing society and the UK’s ambition for innovation demands nothing less.
“For too long, the health needs of women and girls across their life course have not received the attention they deserve.
“By working together across borders and disciplines, we can transform equitable access to care, accelerate the detection and treatment of disease, and ultimately improve health outcomes for millions of women in the UK and around the world.”
Fashion, beauty and lifestyle retailers have joined the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease in women.
The Go Red. Shop with Heart. campaign launched at the New York Stock Exchange on 30 January.
Retailers will ask for donations at checkout in February or donate a percentage of proceeds from selected items.
More than four in 10 women in the US have some form of cardiovascular disease, a term for heart and blood vessel conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
Heart disease and stroke kill more women in the US each year than all forms of cancer combined.
Brands taking part include Away, Commando, Lafayette 148, Michael Kors, Reebok, ShopSimon.com, Summersalt, Torrid and White & Warren.
More than 40 other nationwide retailers are also inviting customers to support the organisation this February through its Life Is Why campaign.
Nancy Brown is chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
She said: “Nearly 1 in 3 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, yet women are still profoundly under-represented in the clinical research, science and medicine that could save their lives.
“Retailers and consumers are uniquely positioned to turn everyday moments into meaningful change through Go Red. Shop with Heart.”
According to the American Heart Association 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and stroke is the number four cause of death.
The organisation projects that at least six in 10 US adults will have cardiovascular disease within the next 30 years and related costs are expected to triple.
However, approximately 80 per cent of cardiovascular disease is preventable through lifestyle changes.
Mindy Grossman is a volunteer board member at the American Heart Association and partner and vice chair of Consello.
Grossman said: “Retail has always been a powerful connector.
“Shop with Heart gives our industry a shared platform to lead with purpose and unite consumers in support of heart health.”
Milken Institute has launched the Women’s Health Network digital platform with Velir x Brooklyn Data to speed collaboration and investment across research, care and technology.
The new website creates a hub for members to share content, connect and coordinate projects, with branding and the first public Drupal build delivered by Velir x Brooklyn Data. A launch video premiered on 4 November 2025 at the inaugural steering committee and member luncheon in Washington DC, then featured at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit.
Phase two is scheduled for February 2026, adding member log-ins for networking and content exchange. Phase three in April 2026 will add advanced collaboration tools and expanded community features.
“This launch represents the type of mission-driven, cross-sector digital work we are incredibly proud to support,” said Eliza Pare, vice-president of client services at Velir. “The Women’s Health Network is poised to transform collaboration in women’s health, and we’re honoured to help build the digital infrastructure that will make that possible.”
Chaired by former first lady Dr Jill Biden, the Women’s Health Network brings together leaders from industry, startups, investors, health systems, patient groups, academia and philanthropy. More than 100 members have joined, with a steering group that includes organisations such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Amgen, Deloitte, GE Healthcare, Merck, Microsoft, Northwell Health, Organon and others.
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