Why Every Woman Should Know Her Health Data: From Awareness to Empowerment

By: Fem Entity

She Almost Didn’t Get the Test Because No One Listened To Her Data

She had been in agony for months. The cramps, the fatigue, the weight gain,  some doctors told her it was “just hormones,” others shrugged. When she begged for more tests, she was met with dismissals: “You’re young,” “You’re stressed,” “It’s in your head.” But she persisted. Eventually, a few data points, irregular cycles, elevated androgens, ultrasound scans, pointed toward polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). That diagnosis changed everything: she learned to manage insulin resistance, got fertility support, and avoided cascading complications like type 2 diabetes.

If she’d accepted “no” for an answer, she might still be suffering, or worse, silently heading toward serious outcomes.

Her story isn’t rare. It’s a cautionary example of how ignoring health data leaves women vulnerable to delayed diagnoses, progressive disease, and poorer prognoses. When women’s symptoms deviate from male norms, whether it’s a heart attack, an autoimmune flare, or a hormonal imbalance, doctors may minimize or mislabel them. That’s why, now more than ever, women need to be vigilant about owning their health data, not waiting to hope the system sees them. 

At Fem Entity, we believe knowledge is power and health data is the most powerful form of self-knowledge. When women understand their own data, from hormonal patterns and mental well-being, they unlock the ability to make informed, confident decisions about their health. 

The Gender Data Gap in Women’s Health

Women’s health suffers from a data blindness built over decades. A 2023 review in Uncovering the Gender Health Data Gap highlights how diseases that disproportionately affect women often lack complete evidence, are excluded from analysis, or are modeled on male physiology, limiting meaningful insight for women (National Library of Medicine).

In fact, the Associate of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), elaborates how, for much of medical history, women, especially of reproductive age, were systematically excluded from early-phase trials for the fear of harming fertility or pregnancy. As of 2019, women were still underrepresented in trials for major diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, psychiatric), despite making up ~50 % of the population. 

This systemic under-inclusion means that many “standards of care” are based on male-dominant data, and sex-specific responses or risk factors go undetected.

Even when women do present symptoms, they often receive delayed diagnosis or suboptimal care. According to Oliver Wyman, women are diagnosed later than men for over 700 diseases, including six types of non-specific cancers. Further, women have about a 20 % higher chance of developing heart failure or dying within five years of their first heart attack than men. McKinsey further quantifies the burden: women spend on average nine years in poor health during their lifetime. That’s nine years where their well-being, productivity, and choices are compromised.

These aren’t just big numbers.When major conditions are missed or misinterpreted, such as PCOS, endometriosis, cardiovascular disease, the prognosis is harsher, the treatment is more difficult, and the quality of life suffers. These numbers reflect lost quality of life, lost careers, and lost potential.

Because clinical guidelines and decision support systems often default to male-narrative data, women must supply their own “exception” data, but often professionals push back. Without robust, individualized data, doctors may say “normal variation” or “just aging,” rather than dig deeper.

Why Tracking Health Data Matters More Than Ever

Our bodies are constantly sending signals, but without data, we’re often guessing what they mean. Understanding your data isn’t just about graphs and dashboards. It’s about connecting the dots between how you feel and what’s happening inside your body. 

When she insisted on getting her hormonal panel, she shifted toward insulin resistance. That knowledge enabled targeted lifestyle and pharmacological interventions before severe damage. Without the data, she would have remained in a vague zone, where disease quietly progressed.

Data = alert system, not just recordkeeping. 

Armed with data, she could walk into clinical encounters confidently: “Here is my temperature trend, here are my cycle irregularities, here’s my symptom correlation.” It becomes harder for a physician to dismiss her. Data is her evidence, not just her story. Health data over time uncovers trends, triggers, and shifts. For instance, she saw that her mood dips, low energy, and inflammation markers clustered just before ovulation, a pattern invisible in snapshot testing. Over months, the anomalies accumulated and became impossible to ignore.

Why This Matters: Not Just for You, But for Society

When women are healthier and better understood, the ripple effects are huge:

• Economic gains: Closing the women’s health gap could add at least US$1 trillion in global economic output by 2040.
• Inclusive research and innovation: Increased participation and tracking mean more data for clinical studies, which translates into more effective medications, devices, and treatments designed for women.
• Intergenerational impact: When women understand their own bodies, they pass on knowledge, confidence, and preventative habits to the next generation, reducing the health gap for future daughters, nieces, and communities.
• Cultural change: Talking about health data normalizes women’s experiences and reduces stigma around topics like hormones, fertility, and mental health. Awareness turns taboo into empowerment.
• Workforce sustainability: Supporting women’s health through data-driven tools can lower absenteeism, improve retention, and foster a more resilient, inclusive workforce.

Because when women know their numbers, from hormone levels to heart rate, from cycle changes to cholesterol, they reclaim authority over their bodies. Data transforms intuition into proof, and silence into advocacy. Knowing your health data isn’t just about curiosity; it’s about protection, prevention, and power.

This isn’t just about one woman’s story; it’s about rewriting the story of women’s health altogether. Awareness isn’t a luxury, it’s survival. And the more women listen to their data, the harder it becomes for the world not to listen to them.

Sources:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10494683/ 
• https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-a-1-trillion-dollar-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies 
• https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/perspectives/health/2023/jan/closing-the-gender-health-gap.html 
• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/risk-factors/pcos-polycystic-ovary-syndrome.html