・It is estimated that costs related to certain diseases specific to women have led to annual medical expenses and financial losses of at least 6.37 trillion JPY.
 (Medical expenses: 1.42 trillion JPY. Financial losses related to absenteeism and presenteeism: 4.95 trillion JPY.)*

・There is a significant relationship between quality of life(QOL), lost working time, and decreased productivity and the presence of women’s health related health issues, including menstruation-related symptoms, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and endometriosis.

・According to study results, 20% of survey respondents visit a gynecologist regularly. More than 50% of respondents who reported not visiting a gynecologist regularly listed as their reason for not going to see a gynecologist as, “I am healthy, so there is no need to visit a gynecologist.”

・Compared to other countries, women in Japan tend to engage in gynecological cancer screening less frequently. Countries with a high rate of gynecological cancer screening offer various support services including, financial support, general practitioners who encourage patients to engage in regular medical care, and call-recall systems.**

■Policy Proposals Based on Research Findings

1. Improve Gynecologist Visitation and Screening rates
[Government(National and Local Government)]
・Add gynecological cancer screening to requirements of regular health checkups
・Provide training programs about women’s health to occupational health professionals
・Incentive physicians to provide additional consultations on women’s health
[Industry]
・Encourage and support employees to get regular health checkups, including gynecological screenings

2. Enhance Education and Advocacy Efforts
[Government(National and Local Government)]
・Provide educational programs on the human body, disease prevention and treatment, and career planning with consideration to women’s and maternal health issues
・Provide appropriate information on screening and the importance of gynecological care; provide accurate information about available options to treat menstruation-related symptoms
[Industry]
・Provide learning opportunities for both women and men about influence of hormones, women’s health issues, women’s health matters that require special consideration, the female body’s unique characteristics, and the prevention and treatment of health issues women face.

3. Promote Healthy Companies
[Government(National and Local Government)]
・Add women’s health to the list of evaluation factors within the Healthy Company Index (In Japanese, this is referred to as “Kenko-Keiei Ranking,” an initiative organized by METI.)
・Research the financial impact of women’s health on companies and survey model cases of healthy companies that prioritize women’s health
[Industry]
・Incorporate women’s health into efforts to achieve healthy companies

*  The goal of this research was to discover fundamental factors that influence women’s health from a socio-economic perspective. Further studies should be conducted based on the findings of this research.
** A “call-recall system” refers to system that sends personalized notices and reminders to patients who have dropped out of care.