Research

Advancing Women's Health Research

At the Netherlands Women’s Health R&I Center, our research agenda is dedicated to transforming women's health through rigorous scientific inquiry. Our specific objectives are:

Understanding Women-Specific Conditions: We investigate the causes of conditions unique to women, aiming to alleviate their profound impact on women's lives, the economy, and society.
Exploring Health Determinants: Our research addresses the gender gap in health, focusing on chronic diseases and conditions that affect women differently or disproportionately compared to men.
Integrating Knowledge: By uniting diverse expertise, we target unmet women's health needs, fostering the development of innovative tools, data, platforms, and technologies for better disease prediction, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management.
Optimizing Data Utilization: We aim to close gaps in the data value chain, leveraging digitalization to develop new methodologies and models for comprehensive women's health solutions.

Infographic: Women's Health Across the Life Course

Text Version of the Infographic: Women's Health Across the Life Course

Overview

The infographic highlights the economic and health impact of conditions affecting women at different life stages. It emphasizes the need to close the women’s health gap, as these conditions contribute to more than 50% of the total GDP impact.

The infographic focuses on women’s health across different life stages:

Adolescents and Young Adults (puberty - 24 years old): This stage includes early hormonal changes, mental health conditions, and the first signs of gynecological health issues.
Middle Years (24 - 50 years old): Chronic conditions such as depression, migraines, and cardiovascular diseases often emerge in this period, impacting long-term health and productivity.
Later Years (51+ years old): Age-related conditions, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer, become more prevalent, affecting quality of life and healthcare needs.

Economic Impact of Women’s Health Conditions

Condition	GDP Impact in percentages ($ Billion)
Menopause	120
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)	115
Depressive Disorders	100
Migraine	80
Other Gynecological Diseases	69
Anxiety Disorders	47
Ischemic Heart Disease	43
Osteoarthritis	35
Asthma	24
Drug Use Disorders	20
Ovarian Cancer	17

These conditions significantly affect both quality of life and economic productivity.

Benefits of Closing the Women’s Health Gap

Closing the women’s health gap would lead to:

Increased productivity, allowing more women to fully participate in the workforce.
Fewer health conditions, improving overall well-being and reducing healthcare costs.
Fewer early deaths, ensuring better health outcomes and longer life expectancy.

Conclusion

Investing in women’s health across all life stages is essential for improving health outcomes, economic stability, and overall well-being. Addressing gender-specific conditions and ensuring better healthcare solutions can reduce economic losses and enhance productivity.

Our Research Projects

Project Name	Project Description
(Why) are there more men than women with autism?	This project investigates the reasons behind the higher prevalence of autism in men compared to women.
Size matters	A study examining the impact of body size on health and disease.
The Migraine-WHAT! Study (Women, Hormones, Attacks, Treatment)	Research on the relationship between female hormones and migraine attacks, aiming to develop better treatments.
BATtle of the sexes	A project studying the differences in brown fat activity between men and women.
MenoPause: More healthy and productive years for women	This research focuses on improving health and productivity for women during and after menopause.
Period! Change	This research improves understanding of menstruation's impact on adolescent mental health to enhance care, education, and social participation.
PREPARE	This project investigates how COVID-19 lockdowns impacted preterm birth and pregnancy outcomes by analyzing changes in mental health, working conditions, and lifestyle.
Gender differences in susceptibility to cognitive conditions due to the X-chromosome	This project explores X-chromosome silencing to understand its role in gender differences in cognitive conditions like autism and anxiety.
TryHeart	This project explores thyroid hormones' role in sex differences in cardiovascular disease using a novel measurement method.
HappyMums	HappyMums advances understanding of pregnancy-related depression, developing screening, treatments, and interventions to improve maternal and offspring well-being.
SCANNER	SCANNER investigates genetic, neurophysiological, and behavioral sex differences in autism to reduce diagnostic bias and improve sex-sensitive diagnostic solutions.

References

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