You're listening to Well Now Slate's podcast on Health and Wellness. I'm Kavita Patel. And I'm Maya Feller.

You know, Kavita, it's staggering to think that girls and women make up more than half the U.S.

Yet our health care isn't tailored to our unique needs as women. Yes, it's not just an

enormous community, but everything from menstruation to menopause, the health statistics amongst

this community are troubling. Let's take obesity, which we've spoken about on this pod. Over one

and three women in the United States over the age of 20 are obese. And then let's talk high blood pressure.

45.7% of women aged 18 and older, so adult women have hypertension. And then Maya, do not get me

started on reproductive health barriers, where more women reported experiencing barriers

to accessing reproductive health services in 2021 compared to

four years earlier.

And 18.6% of women in the U.S.

experienced three or more reproductive health barriers in 2021 alone.

At this point, Maya, inquiring minds want to know what now?

Kavita, I mean, this is just these statistics, it's shocking.

Like, I almost have nothing to say, but then at the same time, I'm enraged and have so much to say.

You know, I was saddened, but not surprised to learn that the majority of research that informs health care,

that includes, you know, the majority of research that informs health care, that includes,

you know, the procedures and medications that are prescribed, have been conducted on men.

I mean, men, like, we know that both men and women have specific biological needs and processes.

So why not?

Why would we not center women in the conversation and research on

women's health? I mean, Kavita, when I say that out loud, it seems so straightforward, yet it is

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