Kicked off on Mother’s Day, the week of May 13-19 was National Women’s Health Week, which was also honored here in Washington, D.C.
I’ve been reflecting on it a lot. I think it could have been advertised more aggressively. I can’t even remember how I found out. I think I read it in a small section of the Express. Like so many women’s health issues, it just wasn’t that obvious and didn’t seem to garner the attention it warranted.
The phrase “Women’s Health Week” makes me think about the many health problems that are unique to women. Even though that week has passed, I hope the women who did know about it took some extra steps to get to know their bodies better and learn healthier living habits.
Thinking about how historically, women’s health hasn’t been taken as seriously as it should be in the medical field, my mind drifted back to older examples of the lacking priority given to women’s health. One such example is the birth control supplement Norplant, and the devastating effects it left on some of the women who used it. In 1996, an astonishing number of at least 50,000 women filed lawsuits, claiming they were not informed about all the side effects of Norplant (depression, headaches, irregular bleeding, etc). Wyeth won all their court cases, but did offer $1,500 as an out-of-court settlement accepted by a little over 30,000 women.
In addition to Norplant, I thought about weight and the many health complications many women experience because of eating disorders or unhealthy eating in general. All these troublesome thoughts took my mind back to Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth because it has a great, personal reflection on eating disorders (and health problems in general) specific to females. So many things run through one’s mind when you hear the term "eating disorder." Though they are becoming more serious in the lives of men, too, I still thought about the health complications that come with binge eating or undereating in relation to women, as they are disproportionately affected by them.
What about women’s access to affordable, quality health insurance? How many women don’t go to the doctor, knowing something isn’t working right with their body, because they can’t afford to and/or have no insurance to? I was shocked to learn that in our region, 12-14 percent of women are uninsured, and that these women are more likely to receive late-stage diagnosis of certain cancers due to lack of access to preventative screenings.
This starts to cut into issues of race and class, as they all intersect.
I didn’t really come to any one conclusion after these thoughts. I guess I immediately thought about the overwhelming health problems that face us when I read about Women’s Health Week.
It just reiterated for me the long journey that women have to continue to successfully climb in society.
Though we’ve got a long way to go, I’m excited that The Women’s Foundation’s Stepping Stones initiative recognizes the importance of health in the lives of women and girls in the Washington metropolitan area, and will be planning and launching specific work around health in the near future. In fact, it’s already begun with our Leadership Awards Program, which is seeking out innovation and quality programming in health and safety on behalf of women and girls in our area!
Also, I get to take in a lot of proposals from organizations doing work that impacts the health of women and girls, and seeing the different projects and programs going on makes me aware of the overwhelming problems, but also of the fact that people are out there who care and are determined to make a difference. So many motivated individuals and groups are creating programs and initiatives to address the many health problems facing women and girls in our area.
Personally, I am guilty of not putting myself to the test last week! Perhaps I could have scheduled my annual physical, started a new exercise schedule, or incorporated healthier foods into my diet.
But, of course, health isn’t something that we should relegate to one week of intense focus. So even if you didn’t get the chance to really sit down and reflect on how to better change and evaluate your health, you still can, anytime!
My first step for this week is to set aside a specific timeslot in my week to exercise for at least half an hour. We have to begin somewhere!
What will you do to take care of yourself?
