A new report puts the economic losses in the UK due to lack of investment in women’s health in the billions of euros.
ADVERTISINGThe sick leave due to painful menstruationsendometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts cost the British economy 11 billion pounds (13 billion euros) a year, according to a new report that claims more investment in health services for women.
The report, prepared by the Confederation of the National Health Service of the United Kingdom (NHS), the charity CREATE Health Foundation and the consulting firm London Economics, notes that Some 60,000 British women cannot work due to symptoms of menopausethe cessation of menstruation due to decreased hormone levels that usually affects women aged between 45 and 55, according to the NHS.
Unemployment due to its symptoms, which include hot flashes, difficulties thinking, muscle pain and difficulty sleeping, costs about 1.5 billion pounds (1.8 billion euros) per year, according to the new report. According to the authors, if a pound were invested (1.19 euros) more in obstetrics and gynecology services per woman in England, the return to the economy would be around £319 millions (379.2 million euros).
Compelling economic arguments
The report also highlights that local authorities with greater ethnic diversity have less access to women’s health services, and that those with more poverty present worse results in terms of women’s health. Dr. Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said in a statement to Euronews Health that the “important new report” presented a “compelling economic argument for investing in women’s health.
“Currently, investments are insufficient and fragmented, which means that women do not have access to the diagnosis and treatment they need when they need it,” she said, calling for investment in new technologies as well. “The (British) Government must set out an ambitious vision for women’s health, putting women and girls at the center of its policies,” she said. Thakar added.
The report used data from the British Cohort Study and the Reproductive Health Survey (RHS), as well as Salary data for women between 16 and 45 years old. “If we address women’s health more effectively, can alleviate substantial economic burdenssuch as absenteeism and loss of productivity in the workplace, which ultimately benefits businesses and the economy as a whole,” Dr Layla McCay, policy director at the NHS Confederation, said in a statement. “But most importantly, these measures will help ensure that all women are supported that they deserve when they face health problems,” he added.
Last year, a survey conducted by the British charity Wellbeing of Women revealed that Almost all of the 3,000 women and girls surveyed had suffered menstrual painand that almost 60 percent said their period pain was intense. More than half of those surveyed stated that They found it difficult to access treatment or help, and 47% stated that in their workplace “he didn’t take them seriously in relation to your period”.
More support for women’s health
McCay noted the urgent need to support a strategy decade of women’s health in England. That strategy was introduced in the UK in 2022, with the Government writing at the time that Women spent more of their lives “in poor health” with not enough focus on “women’s specific problems“, such as spontaneous abortion and menopause.
“This has meant that not enough is known about the conditions that only affect womenor about how conditions that affect both men and women affect in different ways“said the 2022 strategy.
In EU Member States, women tend to live longer than men, according to recent Eurostat data. However, men spend less time sick. The previous British Government also announced last year a £25 million investment to finance for two years the women’s care centers. However, the new report from the NHS Confederation demands more investment, partly due to financial problems following the strikes.
A study published in 2023 estimated that women who miss work due to menopause symptoms cost the US economy 1.8 billion dollars a year (1,600 million euros). That study, from the Mayo Clinic, was based on a survey of 4,440 women between 45 and 60 years old who were patients of that institution and were currently working. Using data from the 2020 US Census, the researchers also calculated that menopause-related medical costs for women they amounted to $24.8 billion (22.6 billion euros).