The first question my mother and I received upon arrival at the ticket sale booth for the bus ride to the Pura Lempuyang Temple in Bali, Indonesia, was whether or not either of us was menstruating. I was unsurprised and even prepared for the question, having done prior research before visiting the temple. But more than that, as a woman, I am well versed in the stigmas regarding womens’ health. Since middle school, I have been met by the flustered reaction of a male authority figure when asked to go to the nurse for “personal health reasons”. Even the slightest allusion toward menstruation has always been an uncomfortable topic.
In today’s world, womens’ health is just beginning to shake off the dust that has been covering it after centuries of societal oppression. Across eras of human history, spanning multiple cultures and religions, the suppression of women’s’ health information has been normalized and accepted.
In Hinduism, the predominant religion in Indonesia, the time of menstruation is considered impure and even dirty. This is not an uncommon belief among many other religions and cultures in the world. All of this explains my memorable interaction at the temple.
Unsurprisingly, stigma regarding women’s’ health has been upheld since ancient times. It can be assumed that the initialization of the stigma took root even earlier than scientists have recorded, given the human tendency to stratify and vie for power through competitive means. In Ancient Egypt, as well as Ancient Greece, the female reproductive system was thought to be the source of many illnesses. They coined the term, “wandering uterus”, which theorized the connection between the Uterus and many physical and mental ailments. During the Victorian era, “Hysteria” was the diagnosis used to explain many of women’s’ health issues. Hysteria was defined as a malfunctioning of the womb, and often led to misdiagnosis and lack of proper treatment.
Today, in many cultures the stigma regarding women’s health persists. In the world of science, feminine healthcare is both understudied and underrepresented in comparison to men’s health.
Historically, research on human anatomy has used almost exclusively male test subjects, presenting prominent issues, especially considering the major distinctions between male and female anatomy. Non-communicable diseases and their signs are researched thoroughly for men, but that is not the case for women. For instance, signs of heart attacks, like pain in the left arm and chest, have been well known signs. However, common signs in women, like jaw pain and shortness of breath, were not until relatively recently.
While it could be said that centuries of practiced ignorance toward understanding and studying women is the cause of the gap in women’s’ health knowledge, this is still intolerable, and the gap is far from closing. Moreover, the benefits of studying women’s health are being revealed. For instance, the discovery that menstrual-blood-derived stem cells (MenSC) are vital in endometriosis research, and in treating myriad diseases, such as cancer and heart failure. These stem cells are crucial, and until now, have been extracted through invasive procedures involving bone marrow. Menstrual blood extraction is a medical miracle; they are plentiful and readily available. Studies specifically geared toward women’s health provide vital information for adequate general health and medicine.
Currently, disparities, as well as attempts to stymie women’s’ health progress, persist. The new form of birth control for men, ADAM, a generally painless procedure utilizing a hydrogel in the vas deferent to block sperm flow, uses local anesthesia while the women’s’ IUD does not. Further, a new executive order from the Trump administration reduced funding for over 500 research grants that use words like women and other “diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) words” in their research.
These recent developments are just a few indicators that women’s healthcare is yet to be valued. Action must be taken in order to reduce the ever-present stigma and disparities regarding feminine health. Society needs to dismantle this stigma and prioritize research. Women must be appreciated and not forced to suppress what makes them unique. Women’s health is crucial not just for their own advancement, but for the world as a whole. Instead of treating our bodies like something to be ashamed of, or forcing us to pause religious practice, we should celebrate what makes women special, and vital for our world as a whole.
By Siena Versaci
Sources:
Guterman, Mark A., Payal Mehta, and Margaret S. Gibbs. 2007. “Menstrual Taboos among Major Religions.” The Internet Journal of World Health and Societal Politics 5 (2). https://ispub.com/IJWH/5/2/8213.
Front Line Genomics, and Lyndsey Fletcher. 2023. “Women’s Health: From the Wandering Uterus to the 21st Century – Front Line Genomics.” Front Line Genomics. May 9, 2023. https://frontlinegenomics.com/womens-health-from-the-wandering-uterus-to-the-21st-century/.
Tasca, Cecilia, Mariangela Rapetti, Mauro Giovanni Carta, and Bianca Fadda. 2012. “Women and Hysteria in the History of Mental Health.” Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health 8 (1): 110–19. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901208010110.
Colino, Stacey. 2024. “Women Are Still Under-Represented in Medical Research. Here’s Where the Gender Gap Is Most Pronounced.” TIME. Time. November 1, 2024. https://time.com/7171341/gender-gap-medical-research/.
Cordeiro, Mariana Robalo, Carlota Anjinho Carvalhos, and Margarida Figueiredo-Dias. 2022. “The Emerging Role of Menstrual-Blood-Derived Stem Cells in Endometriosis.” Biomedicines 11 (1): 39. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11010039.
Schemmel, Alec. 2025. “HHS Slashes over $350M in Grant Funding for Gender Ideology, DEI Research Projects.” Fox News. March 21, 2025. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hhs-slashes-over-350-million-grant-funding-gender-ideology-dei-research-projects.
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