International Women’s Day: Equity Includes Your Health

International Women’s Day represents our labor rights, voting rights, bodily autonomy, and equal access to opportunity. Health equity is part of that legacy.

For midlife women, especially, self-advocacy in healthcare aligns with the movement's original spirit: equal access, informed consent, and the right to evidence-based care.

This year, consider honoring the day by strengthening your voice inside the healthcare system.

1. Advocate for Menopause-Literate Care

Many women still report being dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told that their symptoms are just aging or stress, or balancing responsibilities. Hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, sexual pain, low libido, anxiety, joint pain, rising cholesterol, and weight gain are physiologic shifts tied to hormonal change. They deserve proper evaluation.

Action steps you can take:

  • Prepare written questions before appointments. Many women aren’t sure of what to ask; health coaches who are trained in menopause literacy can help you identify your questions and concerns.

  • Ask directly about perimenopause or menopause if you suspect it. You’re hearing more about it from your friends, online, and at work. You’re curious and deserve the space and time to ask your physician.

  • Request clear explanations of treatment options, including risks and benefits. You deserve a plethora of options. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. 

  • If you feel unheard, seek a second opinion.


2. Know Your Numbers and Ask for Context

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for women, and risk accelerates after menopause. Bone density drops rapidly in the early postmenopausal years. Cognitive concerns are common and often dismissed. You are entitled to data and interpretation.

Action steps you can take:

  • Request copies of your lab results, with an explanation you understand.

  • Ask what your lipid panel means in the context of menopause.

  • Discuss the timing of bone density screening. Insurance coverage is at 65 years, but women need testing well before that.

  • Ask about blood pressure trends, not just single readings.


3. Reclaim Sexual Health as Legitimate Healthcare

Sexual health and pleasure are pillars of health. Painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, and changes in orgasm are common in midlife. They are also treatable. Sexual health affects relationships, mental health, and quality of life.

Action steps you can take:

  • Bring sexual concerns into routine visits. This is no longer a taboo topic to talk about.

  • Ask about local estrogen therapy or pelvic floor therapy when appropriate. The black box warning has been lifted, and most women are candidates to use it.

  • Seek specialists if needed.


4. Protect Brain, Bone, and Heart as Long-Term Equity Issues

International Women’s Day is about long-term structural fairness. Your body also deserves a long-term strategy.

Action steps you can take:

  • Commit to resistance training two to three times per week. Health coaches can help you find your own reasons for change. This is behavioral, and the challenge is real.

  • Prioritize sleep as preventive medicine. Your overall wellness depends on your sleep.

  • Reduce ultra-processed foods and support fiber and protein intake. Take baby steps; start with one change.

  • Stay socially and intellectually engaged. Curate your social circle around positive and supportive people.


5. Build a Healthcare Team That Respects You

Equity includes being heard. If your current provider dismisses symptoms, avoids discussion, or rushes decision-making, it may be time to reassess fit. Breaking up is hard to do.

You deserve:

  • Evidence-based information and a plethora of options. There’s always a solution.

  • Transparent risk discussion. The risk-benefit ratio is essential to understand.

  • Shared decision making. You are no longer a passive patient.

  • Respect.

Building the right team may take effort, but it is an investment in the next decades of your life.


A Different Kind of Celebration

International Women’s Day began as a call for systemic change. In healthcare, systemic gaps still exist, particularly around midlife women’s health.

Advocating for yourself is consistent with the original purpose of the movement: equal access, informed choice, and autonomy.

This year, celebrate by asking better questions. That is equity in action.


 Now is your time to pivot your lifestyle. You don’t need to struggle alone. If you are confused, yet curious, or overwhelmed, but dedicated to discovering what else is out there for you, schedule your complimentary consultation today.

Schedule Today

 

Jill Foos