What you probably already know: If you’ve ever been in a medical setting and felt like you were being treated as an afterthought, that’s likely because for nearly the entire history of medicine, women’s bodies have been an afterthought. The “normal” bodies — the ones that have been studied, included in clinical trials, included in research — are male. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that women (and female test animals) were included in medical studies. To this day, only 20% of surgical studies use female subjects. But things are starting to change, largely driven by economics.
Why? The women’s health care market is massive. A new PwC report suggested it is a $600 billion opportunity by 2030. Midi Health, a menopause and women’s health company, recently raised $100 million and is valued at $1 billion. Investment in research and development of treatments for women’s health issues is increasing by as much as 8% each year. That is likely to rise even more as pharmaceutical companies see opportunities to corner the women’s market. For example, approximately 15% of women in the U.S. use GLP-1s, compared to 9% of men. Meanwhile, plenty of bad actors have decided to try to get in on this growing market, selling supplements with no trace of their “key ingredients” and even including products banned by the Food and Drug Administration.
What it means: We know it’s hard for women to get accurate, actionable health information, so the team at Formidable has decided to change that. This fall, we will host the first-ever consumer Women’s Health Summit, a full day of physicians, researchers and innovators sharing their expertise directly with a room full of women eager for the latest in women’s health. The conference will include keynotes by Dr. Kelly Casperson, a urologist, author and host of the wildly popular You Are Not Broken podcast, and Dr. Jessica Shepherd, OB/GYN, author and chief medical officer for Hers. We’ll feature panels on bone health and its ties to youth athletics, nutrition and menopause, the latest endometriosis research, rare disease detection via genomic sequencing, and even a panel on how to handle medical gaslighting, plus many more. We’ll also feature a robust convention floor packed with health tech, wellness, fitness and biotech companies who will be there to showcase their cutting-edge products.
What happens now? The Formidable Women’s Health Summit will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, just east of Seattle. Tickets will go on sale in late May, and will be available to Formidable subscribers first, so save the date and be sure to encourage your friends to subscribe so they don’t miss the announcement. It’s time to put evidence over hype and put power over fear. Women deserve access to the most up-to-date health information from trusted sources, vetted by physicians and health care leaders who believe in this mission. We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be an information-packed day of connection and camaraderie.
