That was the message shared with the audience at the Būtent! discussion festival during the panel discussion “Women’s Health: Where Science is Silent and Policy is Blind.”

The discussion, organised by the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO, the Lithuanian Centre for Journalism and the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania, brought together Danish science journalist and researcher Dr Lone Frank, Associate Professor and legal scholar Dr Ramunė Jakštienė from Mykolas Romeris University’s Institute of Law and Law Enforcement, medical doctor and oncogynaecologist Dr Diana Žilovič, and PhD in regenerative medicine and pharmacist Dr Eglė Pavydė. The discussion was moderated by science journalist Goda Raibytė-Aleksa.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the discussion.

Women’s health research remains underfunded in Lithuania

Women’s health receives very little attention in Lithuania. Between 2011 and 2024, only eight women’s health research projects were funded by the Research Council of Lithuania: six focused on reproductive health and one on breast cancer.

Even though Lithuania has world-class researchers studying the effects of sex hormones on the brain, laboratories continue to struggle with a lack of funding.

Denmark, meanwhile, has made women’s health a national priority, with targeted grants available for research into specific diseases.

However, science journalist Lone Frank also highlighted a potential downside of putting women’s health issues in the spotlight. Speaking more openly about menopause or PMS risks reinforcing the image of women as “fragile or less productive”.

Menopause is not a disability. Women do not need extra days off or pity – they need research and effective treatment.

Women’s health needs a stronger voice in decision-making

A systemic problem can also be seen at the decision-making level, where men still dominate leadership positions in the pharmaceutical and scientific sectors.

At the same time, advocacy can make a real difference. As the discussion highlighted, “women are good at coming together in support groups and bringing issues into the public eye” – something that has helped drive progress in breast cancer awareness and care.

Women’s health is also a huge, yet still largely overlooked, market for the pharmaceutical industry. Women make up half the population, and the need for better prevention, diagnosis and treatment represents significant potential for research and innovation.

Personalised medicine must take biological sex into account

Modern personalised medicine cannot work effectively while ignoring biological sex. Women’s hearts, brains and immune systems can respond to medicines differently than men’s.

Yet decision-makers often mistakenly frame women’s health issues as “political feminism”, while medical universities still largely teach according to a model in which the male body is treated as the standard.

This approach leaves important gaps in research, medical education and patient care.

The dangers of leaving women without science-based answers

For years, women’s pain and symptoms have been dismissed with phrases such as “it’s natural – just put up with it”. This has created a dangerous information gap.

When science and medicine fail to provide reliable answers about menopause or hormonal disorders, that gap is quickly filled by questionable social media experts and supplement sellers.

“Because there are gaps in scientific and medical knowledge about menopause and hormonal disorders, many ‘wellness coaches’ and supplement sellers are emerging, seeking to profit from these gaps without any clinical evidence to support their claims,” the discussion highlighted.

Providing women with reliable, science-based information and effective treatment is therefore essential – not only for individual well-being, but also for public health and society as a whole.

Watch the full discussion

You can watch the full discussion with the researchers (in English) here:

News article prepared by the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO.