Female-specific health issues not getting much attention in Netherlands

Dutch women are being underserved by the medical system, experts told the Tweede Kamer this week, pointing to a lack of attention and research into health conditions that primarily affect women. The Netherlands is falling behind other European countries in prioritizing women’s health, they said, and the consequences are widespread and costly.

“Women’s diseases are not a focus area here, and that has enormous effects on the health and mental well-being of women,” said gynecologist Judith Huirne, speaking on behalf of the Dutch Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (NVOG).

Huirne, who works at Amsterdam UMC, warned lawmakers that insufficient medical research into female-specific illnesses leads to missed or incorrect diagnoses. That results in more illness and work absences among women, she said, and is costing the Dutch economy more than 7 billion euros in health care and absenteeism costs.

To show how urgent the issue is, Huirne pointed to a women’s health clinic launched at Amsterdam UMC for the hospital’s 9,000 female employees. The clinic offers direct, specialized care for conditions that mainly affect women. “The number of appointments exploded in the first three months,” Huirne said. “Among just the first twelve women, we found 292 sick leave days in the three months prior due to women-specific conditions. That shows just how big this problem really is.”

Huirne told lawmakers that quick access to care from doctors trained in female-specific health problems dramatically reduces delays in diagnosis and treatment.

Psychiatrist and professor Iris Sommer also testified at the hearing. She criticized the lack of scientific research into the effects of the hormone estrogen on brain function and medical treatments.

“There are enormous opportunities here for women in and after menopause, but certainly also for girls in puberty and women with premenstrual syndrome,” Sommer said.

She said more targeted studies could improve treatment outcomes and mental health for millions of Dutch women. Without that investment, major medical questions go unanswered, and care continues to fall short.

Both experts called for the government to make women’s health a national priority. They urged lawmakers to provide dedicated funding and research for female-specific medical issues and to address what they described as systemic inequality in how the health system treats women.