Every March, the world turns yellow and black, the colours of endometriosis awareness. But for the estimated 190 million people living with this condition globally, awareness isn't just a ribbon or a social media post. It is years of being told that their pain is "normal". It is consultations that lead nowhere, diagnoses deferred, and quality of life quietly eroding while waiting for answers that feel impossibly out of reach.

Most women are familiar with the emotional ups and downs, bloating, tiredness, or irritability that can show up in the week or so before a period, this constellation of symptoms is often labelled “PMS” (premenstrual syndrome). It’s so common that up to three in four women experience some symptoms before menstruation at some point in their lives.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers affecting women, yet it continues to claim lives every year. This is not due to lack of tools but because awareness, access, and follow-through still fall short.

2025 was the year women collectively said: enough. Enough with being medically gaslit, under-researched, misdiagnosed, and left to “figure it out” alone. As we step into a new year, one thing is clear: women are no longer waiting for the system to catch up, we’re demanding it.

At HER, we’re starting 2026 with intention. Here are the 10 shifts we believe must define women’s health this year, in clinics, in workplaces, in research, and in culture.

December carries a particular kind of intensity for women. While the world celebrates the season, many women are quietly carrying the mental load, the emotional labour, and the invisible work that makes the holidays run smoothly. It is supposed to be a time of joy, yet for so many it becomes the month where exhaustion peaks.

If you’ve ever found yourself wide awake at 3am, wondering why sleep feels impossible during midlife, you are not alone. For many women, perimenopause and menopause bring a wave of sleep disturbances. Research shows that declining oestrogen and progesterone play a significant role in insomnia, restless nights, and poor-quality sleep. Add to that hot flashes, night sweats, and changes in mood, and it’s no surprise that up to 60% of women in menopause report significant sleep problems.

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when the spotlight turns toward one of the most pressing health issues women face. Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, but early detection and informed choices can make all the difference. At HER, we believe awareness must be paired with action because empowerment begins with knowing what we can do for our health today.

When it comes to menopause and perimenopause, hormone therapy is one of the most misunderstood areas of women’s health. For years, misinformation and fear have clouded the conversation around menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), leaving many women confused about what’s safe, what’s effective, and what’s just clever marketing.

One of the biggest sources of confusion? “Bioidentical hormones.”

Perimenopause isn’t a whisper. For many women, it roars.

Mood swings. Brain fog. Sleep disruption. Weight fluctuations. A sudden intolerance to foods that never used to be a problem. These aren’t just random symptoms, they’re your body’s way of saying, something is shifting. And that shift is hormonal.

For decades, centuries, even, modern medicine has defaulted to a male blueprint. From clinical trials that excluded women to research that neglected the menstrual cycle, the female body has been treated as a deviation from the norm, rather than a standard in its own right. Not only did this oversight skewed data; it has delayed diagnoses, deepened suffering, and left many women navigating a system that was never built with them in mind.