BLOG

Modern medicine has become increasingly sophisticated at treating individual conditions, yet women can still find themselves navigating healthcare systems in which specialists concentrate on separate symptoms, appointments are difficult to coordinate and responsibility for connecting information falls disproportionately on the patient. The deeper issue is whether healthcare systems are designed to recognise the complexity of women's lives or whether women are expected to comp

July is Fibroids Awareness Month, a time to shine a light on uterine fibroids, non-cancerous growths that affect millions of women, particularly those of African descent. Black women are two to three times more likely to develop fibroids than White women, often at younger ages, with more severe symptoms like heavy bleeding, debilitating pain, anaemia and fertility challenges. Yet, many suffer in silence.

Fibroids remain the leading cause of hysterectomy and Black women are estimated to be two to three times more likely to undergo surgery as a result. What appears to be a clinical endpoint is often shaped by a sequence of earlier missed opportunities, delayed recognition, limited intervention and constrained treatment pathways, which ultimately increase the likelihood of surgical menopause.

A large, decade-long observational study has found that regular tea consumption is associated with slightly stronger bone density in older women, while heavy coffee intake (five or more cups per day) is linked to lower bone density, particularly in postmenopausal women. These differences are modest, but they are not insignificant.

September marks Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month, a vital time to focus on early detection and prevention. Gynaecological cancers including ovarian, cervical, uterine, vaginal and vulvar cancers affect thousands of women each year.Yet research shows that Black women often face delayed diagnoses and poorer outcomes compared to white women, underscoring the need for culturally informed awareness and action.