Women’s Health Is Changing. Here’s What I’m Seeing.

Good morning!

Rather than rushing to fill inbox space at year-end, I’ve been paying attention to the themes that continue to surface — across conversations, research, and the broader women’s health landscape. Below are a few reflections that feel especially important as we look toward 2025.

P.S. If you’ll be at JPM next month, I’d love to connect — please say hello. And scroll to the bottom for a year and review and a couple of surveys from Fempower Health community. Your input will help them shape what’s next. 💪

REFLECTION

The Women’s Health Inflection Point

As the year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on how much the conversation around women’s health has evolved.

When I first started working in this space years ago, women’s health was often defined narrowly, tracking fertility windows, menstrual cycles, and isolated moments in time. Today, the definition is broader and more honest. We now talk about the conditions that affect women differently, uniquely, and disproportionately across the lifespan.

That evolution matters, because healthcare is hard for everyone, but it is especially complex for women. Limited research, historical bias, fragmented care, and misaligned incentives have made navigating the system uniquely challenging. What feels different now is not that these problems are suddenly solved, but that the conversation itself is changing in the right direction, and the pace of that change has accelerated.

One signal I keep coming back to is connectivity. In less than 24 hours recently, I had three separate conversations with people working on ways to better connect care, data, and experiences across women’s health. That stood out to me, because connectivity has long been the missing puzzle. Social media algorithms and startup business models thrive on specificity, narrow focus, and niche audiences. Healthcare systems do not. Women’s health, in particular, breaks when treated in silos. Progress requires connection.

This year also brought meaningful regulatory and policy signals. The FDA removed the black box warning on vaginal estrogen. There were FDA hearings on menopause and on the use of SSRIs during pregnancy. Addyi received approval for postmenopausal women. While opinions vary on study outcomes and clinical impact, these moments signal something important to me: the FDA is listening more closely when it comes to women’s health. Many people I speak with describe the FDA as understandably conservative in this space, a reality that has made it difficult to raise capital and advance promising therapies for women. These reflections are based on conversations across the field rather than formal policy analysis, but the pattern is hard to ignore.

Beyond policy, the ecosystem itself is maturing. Conferences like Women’s Health Horizons and Women’s Health Week are shifting the dialogue from awareness to strategy. The Milken Institute’s formation of a Women’s Health Network is another signal that women’s health is becoming institutionalized, not just advocated for. We’re also seeing movement at the state level, with endometriosis working groups forming in places like Connecticut and Massachusetts.

A personal highlight this year was bringing women’s health into rooms where it is not often discussed. Moderating a women’s brain health conversation at the Museum of Science was particularly meaningful to me. Broadening access to these conversations beyond traditional healthcare settings is essential if we want progress to reach more people, not just those already inside the system.

Behind the scenes, I’ve been laying the groundwork for a Global Endometriosis Task Force, and I’ll be spending the remainder of the year finalizing the report for expert review. I’m also excited to be serving on the Endometriosis Working Group with Women’s Health Advocates. These efforts reflect a broader shift toward coordination and shared accountability, rather than isolated initiatives.

We’re also seeing new forms of infrastructure take shape, including the formation of groups like 51&, which signal growing recognition that women’s health requires leadership and coordination across sectors, including policy, capital, and influence.

All of this makes me bullish on 2026. Not because the challenges have disappeared, but because the conversation has moved from naming what’s broken to seriously grappling with how to move forward. Women’s health is at a pivotal point, and progress will depend on our ability to connect insights, people, and systems in more meaningful ways.

As always, thank you for being part of this community and for engaging in these conversations. I’m excited about what comes next.

Warmly,
Georgie

P.S. Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn if you haven’t already. I will share this newsletter issue and I’d love to see what others have to say about what I’ve written.

SHARE YOUR VOICE

Ways to Contribute to the Conversation

One encouraging shift I’ve seen this year is the growing number of efforts focused on listening, learning, and grounding innovation in real-world experience. Below are a few surveys and initiatives I promised to share that are helping shape how women’s health evolves. If one resonates with you, I encourage you to participate and share with your networks.

Let’s Improve Endometriosis Care

These founders have created a user insights survey to build the best symptom -> insurance -> proper care navigation tool possible. They’re trying to build what they wish they’d had in our diagnostic process.

👉 Fill out survey

Should FemVending Be a Thing?

A fellow women’s health founder is exploring “FemVending”, focused on practical access to women’s health essentials.

This survey explores everyday moments where women need health or comfort products and do not have easy access to them. It focuses on real-world contexts like workplaces, events, travel, and public venues to understand where access breaks down.

👉 Fill out survey

YEAR IN REVIEW

A Fun Trip Down Memory Lane

I’m fascinated by what performs best on each social media channel. Check out which followers loved the most in 2025.

• Most viewed and shared post on Instagram  

• Most viewed post on TikTok

• Most watched video on YouTube

• Most watched short on YouTube

• Most impressions on LinkedIn

Happy Holidays and I wish you a wonderful start to the NEW YEAR! 🥂