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‘This is a wake-up call’: UK government urged to take action as women’s health progress stalls
Without more funding women’s health will continue to fall behind, experts have warned following a shock report
Experts have urged the UK government to take action after an “alarming” study found that progress in women’s health had stagnated.
A global survey has found that women’s health in the UK has not improved across a three-year period, with a lack of progress in preventive care and reduced satisfaction with pregnancy care causing particular concern.
The study, which involved 79,000 women across 143 countries, has shown that women’s health and wellbeing in the UK are trailing those in much of the EU.
While acknowledging the pandemic’s impact on the NHS, experts have warned that without more research and funding women’s health will continue to fall behind.
“This report paints a concerning picture of women’s health and emotional wellbeing,” Lauren Chiren, menopause trainer and founder of Women of a Certain Stage, told Femtech World.
“This is particularly troubling, as despite the COVID-19 pandemic receding, women’s health hasn’t improved. The overall score for the UK has remained at 54 out of 100 for three years, indicating no significant progress since the pandemic’s peak.
“This report should be seen as a wake-up call for more investment in research and funding. It’s alarming that in 2024 women’s health is still falling well behind what is expected.”
Chiren said it is particularly concerning to see the gender gap in emotional wellbeing.
The Hologic Global Women’s Health Index report found that women in Britain are sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts.
Compared with 2020, the research showed that feelings of worry, sadness, stress and anger had all increased for women in the UK — whereas in Europe, such feelings have stayed the same since 2020 or improved slightly.
“We need to ask why women are shouldering this burden and what we can do to create a world where they feel safe, supported and empowered to take care of themselves.”
Georgie Spurling, founder and CEO of ARVRA wellness, blamed Britain’s “stressful” lifestyle for the worsening health outcomes.
“We run our lives at a million miles per hour, burnout is at an all-time high and the hustle culture seems to be peaking.
“This constant stress has a knock-on effect on all sorts, such as fertility, hormonal imbalance, nutrition and mental health. Other factors, such as the cost of living, weather and culture, also contribute to women’s health being at a standstill.
“We need to take a more preventative approach to our mental and physical health to stop women from getting to crisis point. This report really showcases that more should and could be done.”
Dr Bryony Henderson, associate medical director at Livi UK, said: “The recent research underscores the urgent need for enhanced focus on women’s healthcare in the UK.
“We need long -term commitment and ongoing evaluation of services to effectively address the complex and varied needs of women, while ensuring that every woman is given the fundamental right to make decisions about their body.
“I urge the UK government to ensure that initiatives address the intersectional nature of women’s health, prioritise accessibility and equity, and foster collaboration among healthcare providers.”
Dr Claire Phipps, GP and advanced menopause specialist at London Gynaecology, also backed calls for more government action.
“There is huge disparity in the care that women receive in the UK. Women remain under-represented in clinical trials which means that conditions which only affect women are under-researched,” Phipps told Femtech World.
“Many women report not feeling heard, not feeling listened too, feeling judged, or made to feel like a bother. There are also issues which are related to socio-economic status, ethnicity and geographic region.
“In order to change the current narrative, there needs to be access to proactive and preventative health services, easier access to preventative screening campaigns and education about why these are important.”
‘We treat women’s health issues reactively’
Currently, the UK lags behind the EU when it comes to preventive care testing, particularly in the areas of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and STIs.
Dr Fiona MacRae, specialist in integrative women’s health and bioidentical hormone balancing at the Marion Gluck Clinic, believes this is due to a lack of focus on preventative healthcare in the UK.
“Many European countries have robust preventative healthcare programmes that focus on early detection and intervention for various health conditions.
“In contrast, the UK often treats women’s health issues reactively rather than proactively, which can result in late diagnosis and poorer health outcomes.”
Lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease also contribute, MacRae explained.
“Women in the UK have higher rates of obesity compared to other European countries, which can increase their risk of developing chronic health conditions.
“The lack of emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyle choices and providing support for women to adopt healthier habits is contributing to the overall poorer health outcomes for women in the UK.”
According to MacRae, there is also a lack of awareness and education in the UK surrounding women’s health issues.
“Many women are not aware of the symptoms of common health conditions, such as endometriosis and PCOS, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
“This lack of awareness can contribute to the overall poorer health status of women in the UK compared to their European counterparts.”
Ovarian cancer cells quickly activate survival responses after PARP inhibitor treatment, and a lung cancer drug could help block this, research suggests.
PARP inhibitors are a common treatment for ovarian cancer, particularly in tumours with faulty DNA repair. They stop cancer cells fixing DNA damage, which leads to cell death, but many tumours later stop responding.
Researchers identified a way cancer cells may survive PARP inhibitor treatment from the outset, pointing to a potential way to block that response. A Mayo Clinic team found ovarian cancer cells rapidly switch on a pro-survival programme after exposure to PARP inhibitors. A key driver is FRA1, a transcription factor (a protein that turns genes on and off) that helps cancer cells adapt and avoid death.
The team then tested whether brigatinib, a drug approved for certain lung cancers, could block this response and boost the effect of PARP inhibitors. Brigatinib was chosen because it inhibits multiple signalling pathways involved in cancer cell survival.
In laboratory studies, combining brigatinib with a PARP inhibitor was more effective than either treatment alone. Notably, the effect was seen in cancer cells but not normal cells, suggesting a more targeted approach.
Brigatinib also appeared to act in an unexpected way. Rather than working through the usual DNA repair routes, it shut down two signalling molecules, FAK and EPHA2, that aggressive ovarian cancer cells rely on. FAK and EPHA2 are proteins that relay survival signals inside cells. Blocking both at once weakened the cells’ ability to adapt and resist treatment, making them more vulnerable to PARP inhibitors.
Tumours with higher levels of FAK and EPHA2 responded better to the drug combination. Other data link high levels of these molecules to more aggressive disease, pointing to potential benefit in harder-to-treat cases.
Arun Kanakkanthara, an oncology investigator at Mayo Clinic and a senior author of the study, said: “This work shows that drug resistance does not always emerge slowly over time; cancer cells can activate survival programmes very early after treatment begins.”
John Weroha, a medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic and a senior author of the study, said: “From a clinical perspective, resistance remains one of the biggest challenges in treating ovarian cancer. By combining mechanistic insights from Dr Kanakkanthara’s laboratory with my clinical experience, this preclinical work supports the strategy of targeting resistance early, before it has a chance to take hold. This strategy could improve patient outcomes.”
Nighttime temperatures during pregnancy may be linked to a higher chance of an autism diagnosis in children, a recent study suggests.
The research tracked nearly 295,000 mother-child pairs in Southern California from 2001 to 2014 and linked warmer overnight temperatures with higher risk in early and late pregnancy.
Children of mothers exposed to higher than typical nighttime temperatures during weeks one to 10 of pregnancy had a 15 per cent higher risk of an autism diagnosis.
Exposure during weeks 30 to 37 was linked to a 13 per cent higher risk.
Lead author David Luglio, a post-doctoral fellow at Tulane University, said: “A key takeaway is that we identified specific windows when a mother and her developing child can be most affected by exposures to higher nighttime temperatures.
“This is critical and hopefully can help mothers prepare accordingly.”
The study is described as the first to examine how temperature may affect fetal neurodevelopment, the process by which a baby’s brain and nervous system form during pregnancy.
Extreme temperatures linked to increased risk were classified as above the 90th percentile, meaning 3.6°F hotter than average, and the 99th percentile, 5.6°F above average.
The association held even after researchers accounted for factors such as neighbourhood conditions, vegetation and fine-particle air pollution.
The study could not account for other factors such as access to air conditioning. Researchers did not find the same association with daytime temperatures, potentially because people spend more time away from home during the day.
“Heat waves are becoming more frequent, and people may only think of the dangers of daytime heat exposure,” said Mostafijur Rahman, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Tulane University.
“These results indicate a strong association between high nighttime temperatures during pregnancy and autism risk in children and show that we need to think about exposure to heat around the clock.”
The study did not examine how higher temperatures at night might affect prenatal development, though Luglio said it is possible that warmer nights disrupt sleep for pregnant mothers.
Previous research has suggested insufficient sleep during pregnancy may be linked to a higher risk of neurocognitive delays in children.
“Extreme heat exposure during pregnancy has been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes, including prenatal neurodevelopment delays and complications with an embryo’s development of a central nervous system,” Luglio said.
“The goal of our study was to specifically explore the link between prenatal heat exposure and autism diagnoses for the first time.”
Kindbody has launched a fertility platform integrating AI with clinical care and patient support for employers and health plans.
The platform will enter a pilot with select Kindbody employer clients in 2026, covering over three million lives, ahead of wider availability in 2027.
Building on the company’s clinical model, the platform aims to improve outcomes and cost efficiency across family-building journeys. It connects Kindbody-owned clinics, partner clinics and an integrated clinical app.
The app offers virtual care across conception, pregnancy and reproductive health, extending through the menopause transition.
Launch features include updates in medication management, third-party reproduction, adoption, pregnancy, men’s health and global programme design.
David Stern, chief executive of Kindbody, said: “With our next-generation fertility platform, Kindbody is redefining what comprehensive, intelligent and affordable family-building care looks like for employers, health plans and patients.
“By unifying best-in-class clinical care, AI-driven intelligence and whole-person support, we are making it easier and more cost-effective for more people to build the families they envision.”
Kindbody has expanded access via its national network of IVF centres, including IVIRMA, Inception Fertility and Ivy Fertility.
A new Fertility Medication Portal is designed to streamline authorisations so medicines can be dispensed on time, giving patients visibility from prescription to coverage, pharmacy fulfilment and delivery tracking.
Through KindMan, men’s health education, digital resources and integrated clinical care are expanding, including hormone management programmes.
Services cover andropause (age-related testosterone decline), erectile dysfunction, low testosterone and other male reproductive conditions.
Specialist fertility care includes semen analysis, diagnostic testing, male hormone panels, genetic testing, surgical sperm extraction and sperm cryopreservation.
Launching in the second quarter, a pregnancy support app will act as a digital companion for expecting and new parents, with resources, interactive tools and clinical assessments to identify social drivers of health and mental health needs during pregnancy and beyond.
Kindbody’s physician-led menopause programme provides consultations with board-certified obstetricians and gynaecologists to diagnose, treat and manage menopausal symptoms, including hormone replacement therapy where appropriate, with support from nutritionists, mental health therapists and pelvic floor specialists.
AI and analytics will be embedded across the care journey. An AI care navigator will guide employees from benefit activation through intake, triage and scheduling.
Tools will track benefits and treatment plans, showing coverage and expected out-of-pocket costs at each step.
AI-supported scribing will assist clinicians with documentation, and a predictor tool will estimate a patient’s likelihood of having a baby across different treatment paths.
In 2027, Kindbody plans a savings model for eligible large employers that it says will guarantee lower total fertility spend while improving clinical efficiency and patient experience.
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