What is women's health? Why is it rightly getting more attention now?
Women's health is the science and practice of health as it occurs in women: from hormones and cycles to heart and body health to mental resilience. Women's health is increasingly in the spotlight in society, the media and politics. This is because we now have a better understanding that many complaints and illnesses in women differ from those in men, and that better knowledge leads to better care, less misunderstanding and fewer sick days at work.
Hormones & cycle
the heart of women's health
Hormones are chemical messengers that affect your well-being every year of life. They regulate menstruation, fertility, energy, mood and even your response to stress, among other things. The menstrual cycle is a dynamic rhythm in which hormones alternate. These fluctuations are not random. They form a biological pattern that influences:
- Menstruation and ovulation: the basis of your cycle, which can vary in length and intensity
- PMS and PMDD: physical and mood complaints prior to menstruation
- Contraception: hormonal methods that change cycles and hormone levels
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: periods of major hormonal shifts and physical impact
- Perimenopause & menopause: transition phase in which hormone production changes
These cycles and changes don't just affect reproduction. They can also affect your energy, sleep, motivation, and ability to work. Because hormonal patterns are unique to women, good care requires knowledge of how these rhythms work and what they can mean for a person's daily functioning.
Heart, Body & General Health
Women's health goes beyond hormones alone. We now know that:
- Cardiovascular diseases sometimes present differently in women than in men, with more subtle symptoms
- Autoimmune disorders occur more often in women and sometimes proceed differently
- Medication and treatment effects may be different than in classical studies, which have been done mainly on men for a long time
A healthy lifestyle with good nutrition, sufficient exercise, strength training and relaxation forms the basis of fit hormonal systems, a healthy heart and strong tissues. This has an immediate benefit for your energy, mood and psychological resilience.
Mental health, work and daily life
Mental health is part of women's health. Hormonal fluctuations can influence moods, but social expectations, care roles and work stress also play a role. Many women experience:
- Anxiety or depressive symptoms
- Stronger mood changes around hormonal phases
- Misunderstanding at work when complaints are not recognized
Scientific knowledge helps to break this stigma. By making female-specific complaints, such as perimenopause, open to discussion, there is more understanding in the workplace. This means less unnecessary work absenteeism, better productivity and greater well-being for women and organizations.
Women's health in news and politics
In recent years, attention for women's health has been growing in the media, policy papers and political agendas, including themes such as:
- Better diagnosis and research for complaints that are different for women
- More attention to hormonal life phases in health policy
- Workplaces that take into account health signs such as menstrual or menopausal symptoms
These developments are justified: they help ensure that women are no longer seen as ‘a variant of the man’, but as a full-fledged starting point for medical care, policy and work culture.
Read relevant media articles here.
Tools for you and your workplace
What I want to achieve as a gynecologist is to make scientific knowledge accessible so that women themselves:
- Better understand what's happening in their bodies
- Are able to talk to healthcare providers in a more focused way
- Get tools to support well-being and work capacity
Good understanding leads to better choices, less misunderstanding and a healthier balance between life and work.
What do I offer?
Workshops for employees
information session for employees
information session for managers
About Doctor Marel
My name is Jacolien van der Marel. I am a gynecologist and I help women and organizations deal better with the impact of women's health issues such as perimenopause.
Every day, I see how these issues affect women's functioning, well-being and job satisfaction. With reliable, evidence-based knowledge and practical tools, I help make them open to discussion. This gives women more control over their health and well-being, and gives organizations more insight into sustainable employability.
My mission: breaking taboos and working together on vitality and understanding, at home and in the workplace.