These Leading Causes of Death in Women Have New Treatments Thanks to Equal Research in Medicine

On June 10th, 1993, the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act was signed into law mandating women and minorities to be a part of clinical trials for their medical research. With women and minorities actively being encouraged to be excluded prior to the amendment, this historical law was a win that aimed to improve the understanding of women and people of color’s biology at the source. Not only did the NIH Revitalization Act directly facilitate advancements in the intersection of women and minority specific health issues, but it also led to a deeper understanding of how sex and race change how a person is affected by all types of disease that still positively impacts medical research today.

In 2022, Evvy, a company whose mission is to close the gender health gap by researching and leveraging overlooked female biomarkers in the vaginal microbiome, deemed June 10th Equal Research Day to commemorate the NIH Revitalization Act being signed into law and to continue to promote equal research. Women Who Rock is celebrating right along with them by sharing three major medical breakthroughs in women’s health that couldn’t have happened without equal research.

Cardiovascular Disease

According to the CDC, the leading cause of death in the U.S. among men and women is cardiovascular disease; however, women are more likely to die from a heart attack. This is due to a plethora of factors including lack of identification in symptoms by healthcare workers, dismissal of women’s pain leading to slow treatment intervention, hormonal changes that increase risk factors and more.

Fortunately, this soon may be a problem of the past. Based on new research out of the European Society of Cardiology backed by the NIH, heart attacks in women can be predicted decades in advance from markers that can now be detected from a single blood test. Although there is still a long way to go in closing the gender health gap, this research is a step in the right direction to pave the way for future treatment options in women.

Breast Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, “More than 60% of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA1 or BRCA2 will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. By contrast, about 13% of women in the general population will develop breast cancer during their lifetime”.

The link between mutated BRCA genes and the development of cancer discovered by Bruce Haffty, a Women’s Health Researcher at Yale in 1998, has led to critical life-saving treatments for cancer prevention. Today, vaccines are in the works to fight breast cancer while genetic testing, preventative mastectomies and advancements in radiation treatment that help to reduce radiation resistance have saved countless lives to the disease thanks to this research.

Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, women make up 2/3 of American’s suffering from Alzheimer’s and women in their 60’s are twice as likely to receive a diagnosis compared to those diagnosed with breast cancer. Alzheimer’s disproportionate effect on women has long been thought to be because women are more likely to live longer but further evidence suggests women may be at a greater risk due to biological, societal or cultural findings.

Although women’s biology may be to blame for their risk, it may also point to new treatments. One study found that stem cells derived from women’s menstrual blood may provide relief to those with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease based off of improved symptoms in mice. The jury is still out while more clinical research is needed, but the accessibility to stem cell use from menstrual blood compared to bone marrow harvesting is promising for future treatment development for women’s health.

With recent attacks on company DEI protections, women’s reproductive rights and funding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human services well under way, it is more important than ever to support women’s health initiatives. At Women Who Rock, we believe women’s health is a priority and that is why when you buy a ticket to a Women Who Rock Benefit Concert or shop our merch, a portion of proceeds benefit Magee Women’s Research Institute. Connect with us on social media to stay in the loop about upcoming events or share your own story! We can’t wait to hear from you!