Women’s medical conditions continue to be an under-researched and underfunded aspect of healthcare in the United Kingdom.
Women have only been included in medical studies since the 1990’s, which means many conditions that affect women, including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), remain under-researched today, in comparison to other health problems.
The Royal College of Nursing estimates that PMS severely affects 25% of menstruating women with symptoms drastic enough to affect daily life.
Dr. Mary Claire Haver OBY-GYN and women’s health expert confessed in a recent interview that during her early medical training she was taught a term that would stick with her throughout her entire medical career.
WW: shorthand for ‘whiny woman’ was used to dismiss women whose symptoms didn’t fit neatly into lab results and who complained about hormonal issues, such as: irregular periods, dizziness, low libido and weight changes, which were all written off as exaggeration instead of investigated as real health concerns.
She explained how if a doctor couldn’t figure out the woman’s issue, then it had to be made up in her head.
But PMS is extremely common and, according to a review published in the medical journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine reports that up to 90% of women experience at least one PMS symptom during their reproductive years, but only 20%-30% of those reach the criteria for clinically defined PMS.
Here are 10 conditions that have more research than PMS, some of which may surprise you.
These comparisons show how medical research priorities continue to overlook conditions rooted in women’s reproductive health.
1. Erectile Dysfunction
This men’s health issue receives five times more research than PMS, according to the UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee, even though it is estimated to affect 19% of men, compared to the 25% of menstruating women who suffer from PMS.
Erectile Dysfunction has multiple pharmaceutical treatments available on the NHS.
2. Male Pattern Baldness
This non-life threatening, cosmetic condition has substantial scientific and commercial research, with entire industries being built around studying it and developing treatments.
Though it has its adverse effects on quality of life, PMS also affects daily functions, mental health and work productivity, as well as having the potential to cause hair-loss.
3. Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is where breathing stops and starts during sleep causing loud snoring, gasping and poor sleep quality.
It receives significant research and clinical focus, including specialist NHS services and sleep clinics.
In comparison, PMS relies on self-reported symptoms and remains poorly understood, as opposed to sleep apnoea which is easier to diagnose, and which men are 2–3 times more likely to have, according to the Mayo Clinic.
4. Sports-Related Concussion
Research into concussion, particularly in male-dominated sports such as football and rugby, has expanded rapidly in recent years and gains more funding momentum than an issue affecting millions of women.
5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
IBS is a chronic condition with symptoms that coincide with PMS, including stomach pain, bloating, and fatigue.
Hormonal influences on IBS are more widely studied than PMS itself.
6. Migrane
One of the most researched neurological conditions that has dedicated treatment pathways in the NHS.
However, hormonally linked migraines which are often associated with PMS are far less understood.
7. Testosterone Deficiency
Testosterone deficiency is often linked to ageing, general wellbeing, and productivity in men.
Meanwhile, cyclical hormonal changes in women and their physical and psychological effects are frequently treated as normal inconveniences rather than requiring more in-depth medical attention.
8. Alcohol Use Disorder
Unlike PMS, alcohol use disorder has national strategies, clinical guidelines, and funded treatment pathways designed to identify and manage the condition.
Despite PMS symptoms overlapping and being linked to increased anxiety, depression, and reduced functioning, it has not received comparable levels of policy or research focus.
9. Rare Genetic Disorders
Many rare genetic conditions affecting relatively small numbers of people such as cystic fibrosis which affects just over 10,000 people in the UK has dedicated research funding, specialist clinics, and national treatment guidelines.
While this investment into rare conditions is important, it highlights how PMS, a condition affecting a greater proportion of the population, continues to lack equivalent research or specialist services.
10. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME)
ME is a condition which causes fatigue, pain and loss of cognitive ability but is challenging to diagnose as it has no specific test.
PMS, which also involves similar symptoms, has not benefited from the same sustained scientific attention as ME, partly due to its association with menstruation and gendered assumptions about women’s pain.
The Government’s Women’s Health Strategy for England specified that medical research has historically excluded women explaining the very prominent gap in diagnosis and treatment regarding conditions related to menstruation and hormones.
Charities such as Wellbeing of Women and The National Association for Premenstrual Syndromes have also warned that PMS and PMDD are often poorly understood and commonly belittled, leaving a great deal of women unsupported.
Although the NHS has recognised these gaps and has begun expanding the services for women’s health, specialist care for premenstrual conditions remains limited.
Kristina Goodsell, 32, has spoken about her experience with PMDD – a severe PMS disorder she described as PMS on steroids – publicly on Married at First Sight UK and has suffered with the condition her whole life, being continually mistreated by doctors until being diagnosed at 31.
She said: “There just isn’t enough research and resources for this debilitating condition, it’s time to make a stand.”
Featured image credit: Markus Winkler, Unsplash
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