50 percent of Spanish women with endometriosis waited more than four years to get a diagnosis and 49 percent state that this disease significantly impacts their quality of life, according to the "TABOO Report: making women's health taboos visible," prepared by Gedeon Richter.
At a conference where the main conclusions of the document were presented, participating specialists emphasized the need to advance in the early detection of pathologies such as endometriosis and to consolidate a more accessible, educational, and normalized healthcare model for women's health.
The report aims to shed light on the beliefs, obstacles, and taboos that still condition social and medical dialogue about women's health. To this end, the opinions of 12,000 women between 18 and 59 years of age from six European countries were collected, 2,000 of whom reside in Spain.
Among its findings, the study indicates that 35 percent of Spanish women have never used any contraceptive method and that, when choosing one, respondents prioritize it fitting their lifestyle. Likewise, almost 30 percent reject the morning-after pill due to fear of side effects, and more than half turn to social networks and digital media as their primary source of information.
The document also concludes that the stigma towards women who choose to postpone motherhood for professional or socioeconomic reasons continues to be present. 58 percent identify work-life balance difficulties as one of the biggest impediments to having children. Although more than 80 percent of the Spanish women surveyed are aware of egg freezing, this alternative is barely among their preferred options for preserving fertility.
Regarding menopause, it is noted that it remains a little-known stage: despite 270 symptoms linked to this period having been described, only six percent of participants report having a high level of knowledge about them. Even so, more than 40 percent acknowledge that menopause directly influences their sex life.
GIVING VOICE TO INVISIBILIZED ISSUES
Throughout the meeting, various experts insisted on the need to reinforce both evidence-based information and public debate on topics that have traditionally been relegated or silenced.
In this regard, they have highlighted the relevance of promoting health education at all stages of a woman's life and of dismantling persistent myths about contraception and menopause, in order to favor more informed decisions accompanied by health professionals.
"This meeting reflects our commitment to women's health beyond the therapeutic sphere. We want to contribute to generating a more open conversation, based on evidence and focused on the real needs of women at all stages of their lives," stated the general director of Gedeon Richter Ibérica, Szabolcs Szemánszki.
The event featured interventions from the gynecologist specializing in assisted reproduction Anabel Salazar; the president of the Spanish Society of Contraception (SEC), José Quílez; the president of the Spanish Association for the Study of Menopause (AEEM), Silvia P. González; the head of the Gynecology Service at La Paz University Hospital, Alicia Hernández; the director of MiriamGineHub, Miriam Al Adib; and the president of the Spanish Federation of Women Directors, Executives, Professionals, and Entrepreneurs (FEDEPE), Ana Bujaldón Solana.