# 8 | Women’s Health in 2026: The 10 Shifts We Need
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.
1. Real Representation in Research
For decades, women’s bodies were excluded from trials. In 2026, we want mandatory sex-specific data, better inclusion across ages, and research that reflects women’s real physiology not an adjusted male baseline.
2. Hormonal Health Literacy Becomes Standard
No more mystery around cycles, perimenopause, or hormone therapy. Every woman deserves access to evidence-based guidance, not influencers filling the gaps.
3. Perimenopause Care That Meets Reality
Women shouldn’t spend years being told “it’s stress.” In 2025, we want timely diagnosis, better MHT access, and clinicians trained to recognise the cognitive, emotional, and metabolic load of perimenopause.
4. A Shift From Weight-Centred to Function-Centred Care
Women are tired of symptoms being dismissed as a ‘weight issue’. We need care that prioritises metabolic health, gut function, stress physiology, and lived experience not BMI.
5. Data Equity & Better Digital Tools
Women's health tech must move beyond cycle tracking. We need tools that support hormonal changes, perimenopause, cardiovascular risk, bone health, and early detection.
6. Gut–Hormone Integration in Mainstream Care
The gut is not an “alternative health” topic. It’s foundational to mood, metabolism, immunity, and hormone regulation. In 2026, we expect clinicians and insurers to recognise it as core care.
7. Culturally Competent Care
Women’s health cannot be one-size-fits-all. We need care that respects cultural norms, language, accessibility, and lived realities.
8. The End of Stigma Around MHT
Fear-driven narratives need to go. Women deserve evidence-based counselling, personalised risk assessment, and safe access to treatment without shame.
9. Employers Prioritising Female Physiology
Workplaces must adapt to women, not the other way around:
– Menopause policies
– Flexible scheduling during high-symptom phases
– Fertility support
– Mental load awareness
Health and performance improve when physiology is acknowledged.
10. Women Leading the Conversation
The most powerful shift? Women leading the narrative: in medicine, policy, business, research, and culture. The future of women’s health is being built by women, not for them.
2026 is an opportunity to reclaim what has long been denied to women, healthcare that sees us, listens to us, and acts on our realities. It is a moment to demand research that reflects our biology, care that honours our lived experience, and policies that acknowledge the full spectrum of our health needs. This is the year to move beyond token gestures and marketing narratives, beyond fear and misinformation, and into a future where women’s health is no longer an afterthought but a priority.
At HER, we are committed to leading this shift, to amplifying voices that have been ignored, and to building a space where knowledge, empowerment, and evidence meet so that every woman can step into her health with clarity, confidence, and the certainty that she will finally be seen.