'Massive' gaps and a new frontier facing women's health

The Women's Health and Wellbeing Summit in Sydney highlighted the significant health challenges facing women in 2026. Dr Amandeep Hansra, a GP and digital health strategist, warned against the overwhelming influx of information, stating that it creates a monster rather than improving women's health. She emphasized the need to simplify the complex information provided to GPs.

The summit discussed various issues, including the increased risk of dementia in women, with women being twice as likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's as men. Additionally, women experience 20 heart attacks daily, despite living longer than men, they spend 25% of their lives in poor health. Neurologist Rowena Mobbs pointed out the lack of understanding about the influence of hormones on women's health, particularly in relation to dementia.

Gynaecologist Talat Uppal noted that heavy menstrual bleeding affects a quarter of women, yet it remains unaddressed in policy and funding. Cardiologist Clara Chow highlighted the lack of female representation in her field, with only 15% of cardiologists being women, leading to conscious and unconscious bias in patient assessments.