A new fund to invest in women's health!

The Fonds Santé des femmes, which will be formalized in the coming weeks, will fund clinical and research projects that address various gynecological and hormonal problems. “Women's health should not be limited to pregnancy. It must be approached much more broadly by considering the different stages from puberty to the end of life, both in terms of physical health and psychosocial dimensions,” explains Dr. Sophie Désindes, head of the gynecology-obstetrics department.

“The department has 22 doctors, ten of whom have developed different areas of expertise, whether for sexual problems or hormonal health. We have specialists for issues related to puberty, contraception, vulvar diseases, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain to give you a few examples. We have a wide range of professionals, here in Sherbrooke, who can work to advance the quality of care offered to women.”

But why has research on women's issues historically been underfunded? “I think it comes from the fact that there is a culture of trivializing gynecological problems and problems related to hormonal changes,” explains Dr. Désindes. “Even if there is a bit of improvement, unfortunately, women have learned to endure intolerable situations or pain by telling themselves that it will pass! This discourse needs to change.” She cites endometriosis as an example, a condition that can be responsible for disabling pelvic pain and in some cases infertility. “One in 10 women suffers from it, but research is not as important as for other diseases, such as diabetes, which also affects one in 10 people.”

The research potential is vast, according to Dr. Désindes. Half of women experience symptoms that affect their quality of life during the menopausal period, 30% of women are affected by urinary problems or even nearly half of women in their forties have uterine fibroids. In addition to funding research projects, the Women's Health Fund will also be able to contribute to the acquisition of equipment aimed at improving the quality and safety of care offered to women. “New technologies exist that are less invasive and avoid hospitalization, such as for the treatment of uterine fibroids, for example. This is the type of project that could be funded. It would be an improvement for both the patients and the institution,” she concludes.

The Fonds Santé des femmes will complement a new fund that has just been set up by the CHUS Foundation and which aims at perinatal research, more specifically maternal health during pregnancy.

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