Elevating Women's Health: Addressing Gaps and Shaping the Future of Gynecology
Did you know that 1 in 3 women experience debilitating uterine or menstrual health challenges in their lifetime (1)? Gynecological issues are not uncommon or unusual, yet many women will wait 10 years or more for an actual diagnosis (1). Additionally, only 24% of women feel their physician is knowledgeable about women’s health issues and 1 in 5 women feel their gender is a barrier to care (2).
“It is time to elevate gynecology”, says Carmen Wyton, the Chair and Founder of the Women’s Health Coalition (WHC), an organization committed to sparking a movement to speak openly, learn and engage, and address barriers, gaps, and biases in menstrual, reproductive, and sexual health (3). The WHC’s advocacy priorities are driven by patient stories and they work with multidisciplinary healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based recommendations to healthcare policy makers to improve the system.
“It starts with the empowerment of women,” Carmen says. “Women allow themselves to be dismissed. They talk about heavy menstrual bleeding, and the doctor says that's normal and they don't really go any further,” Carmen explains. “We need to make sure that we have tools and resources and even just encouragement for women to take more authority over their health experience since the system isn't automatically there for them. They have to demand it, because they have a right to it.” The dismissal of women’s symptoms can lead to misdiagnosis, increased pain, and adverse health outcomes (2).
When asked about additional gaps in the care of women, Carmen pointed out that “it appears gynecology is not sufficiently included in family medicine training like obstetrics is. From many primary doctors' perspectives, they will be the first to admit they do not know how to support women through menopause and the post-medical school training that they need to do that is not readily available, nor do they have the time to do it.” Increasing gynecological training in primary care is crucial to early diagnosis and management, reduced wait times for specialist care, and increased patient health outcomes (4).
Additionally, women’s gynecological health is severely undercompensated. In 2024, the WHC released Underserved Undervalued: Inequities in Gynecology, a report outlining the disparities in gynecology and the urgent systemic reforms required to address current inequities (4). When asked about this report, Carmen responded saying that “gynecology is the only speciality in the last 8 years that has declined in investment. Not because women’s needs have lessened in any way, but the actual compensation to support them has lessened”. In fact, OB/GYN is three distinct areas in one: obstetrics, gyne surgical procedures, and gyne clinical services, yet it gets the budget allocation of one speciality whereas most other specialities are split into the surgical and non-surgical fields (4). Additionally, gynecological surgeries performed on women are paid 26.7% lower compared to similar surgeries in male patients (5). “The next generation of medical students are not going to be attracted to gynecology, and it’s going to get worse, not better,” Carmen concludes.
One of the recommendations outlined in the report to decrease OR wait times for women and improve health outcomes is to transition minor procedures into non-invasive surgical suites (4). “Currently, they are being done in OR suites which require more resources and time, whereas in the minor procedures suites, the person doesn’t need to be sedated, and so they can go from 8-10 procedures to 30 in a day. This means that women who need complex care can get it more quickly. However, the system won’t accept this change for women, but they’re already doing this for men,” says Carmen.
When asked about how the healthcare industry and the government can work together to address these gaps, Carmen replied “nurse practitioners, midwives, pelvic floor physios, and primary care nurses, can reduce the burden on physicians, but without new funding everyone is required to share in a pie that's already spread too thin. The WHC brings everyone together to advocate for change one little thing at a time by bringing together everyone that is impacted by it or against it, and I get us all on the same page.”
As medical students, we are on the verge of joining the healthcare industry as practicing physicians. While we develop our competencies and gain medical knowledge in these four years, advocacy for women’s health starts now. “Take some electives, ask questions, and be curious about women’s health. Talk about it more, because if you don’t, nothing will change. We need to destigmatize reproductive health issues, especially as Canada becomes more diverse in terms of population groups” Carmen emphasizes. As aspiring physicians, we must cultivate an unwavering curiosity, commit ourselves to continuous learning, and exhibit the courage to engage in difficult yet necessary conversations—especially those that challenge prevailing norms. By doing so, we can elevate gynecology together, paving the way for more compassionate, inclusive, and comprehensive care.
“Women are choosing not to have babies, and so obstetrics is a choice. Gynecology is not.”
- Carmen Wyton, Chair and Founder of the Women’s Health Coalition
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