If Jesus was a health researcher he would first close the gender health gap

Endometriosis is a painful condition suffered by women where cells which usually grow in the uterus, grow elsewhere in the body, usually in the pelvis region. It can cause heavy bleeding, inflammation, pain and scar tissue and can affect fertility. It is a complex disease with no current agreement on exactly why it happens in some women and girls.

Even though 10% of reproductive age women are affected, and the personal and economic impact is significant, there is comparatively little research into it. In fact, there is more research into why men experience baldness than why women develop endometriosis.

This comes as no surprise when it is known that conditions which affect only women are vastly under-represented in health research

This comes as no surprise when it is known that conditions which affect only women are vastly under-represented in health research, and endometriosis is no exception. In fact, it is arguable that this health condition comes with a double disadvantage because it is so closely aligned with periods, a topic which still carries an enormous amount of stigma.

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March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and is an important movement tasked with the job of raising awareness and driving change including highlighting the need for more research. As a midwife I am very interested in female reproductive health but a condition which negatively impacts the lives of millions of women globally should interest us all. In considering such a stark gender health inequality I am reminded of the interaction between Jesus and the woman ‘with the issue of blood’. Her story is told in Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-48. When we see stories repeated in the Bible we know to sit up and listen because something important is being said and reiterated.

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Many may be familiar with the story; Jesus is in a crowd and a woman who has suffered with blood loss for 12 years touches the hem of his cloak and is healed. At first glance it is a beautiful and hopeful story. However, a second glance tells us something even more beautiful about the nature of Jesus and offers all of us, but especially those involved in health research, some direction in how to address the inequality we encounter.

When the woman touched Jesus’s cloak, he asked, “who touched me?”

When the woman touched Jesus’s cloak, he asked, “who touched me?” and he is met by the slightly sarcastic response of his disciples. But he kept looking and he kept asking. Now we know that Jesus knew exactly who touched him, but this was an opportunity to elevate the overlooked and there were few people more overlooked than this woman. There was not a single element of her life which remained unaffected by her health condition. It had stripped her of her health, wealth and dignity.

READ MORE: Should we discuss period pain and sex in church?

We don’t know if she had endometriosis though the length of time she suffered and the lack of any respite despite years of medical treatment suggest it is possible. Endometriosis often takes years and years to diagnose and invariably, women have their symptoms brushed off and minimised. The gender health gap is real but still largely ignored. But not by Jesus. In asking again, he persisted, in acknowledging her, he humanised her, and in listening to her, he valued her. All of these qualities are vital if we are to make a difference to women living with endometriosis. For far too long women have been at the thin edge of the wedge when it comes to being heard in health and research but now it is time to take a leaf from Jesus’s book and effect real change.

This March, Endometriosis UK is hosting events for political representatives across all 4 nations to raise awareness of endometriosis with those in power. Ask your local political representative to take action.