Throughout 2021, we have made a pledge to share our education and experiences with our clients and colleagues, to ensure inclusivity across the board. Each month we will be releasing communications in line with national and international awareness campaigns. This month we start by taking a look at Women’s Health to increase awareness and education as part of Cervical Health Awareness Month and Thyroid Awareness Month. The main cause of cervical cancer is persistent infection of certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a common virus, and in most cases, the immune system clears the infection without any problems. How common is cervical cancer? Research shows that there are barriers to cervical screening amongst ethnic minorities. For example, only 28% of BAME women said they felt comfortable talking to a male GP about cervical screening, compared with 46% of white women. Only 72% of women currently attend cervical screening appointments. Charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust started #SmearForSmear campaign to try and boost this number – more details here. There has been much research done on lowering the UK screening age from 25, to achieve earlier diagnosis of cervical cancer in younger women. You can read more about the findings here. Did you know that Trans men can also develop cervical cancer? If they haven’t had an operation to remove their womb and cervix (total hysterectomy, then transgender men are also at risk of developing cervical cancer. What you can look out for: Most people with HPV do not know they are infected and never develop symptoms or health problems from it. Some people find out they have HPV when they get genital warts. Women may find out they have HPV when they get an abnormal Pap test result (during cervical cancer screening). Others may only find out once they’ve developed more serious problems from HPV, such as cancers. What you can look out for: Under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) can produce symptoms such as: Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland cannot produce a sufficient volume of thyroid hormone. If you experience multiple symptoms you can get checked by requesting a simple blood test. Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis) can produce symptoms such as: An overactive thyroid, also known as hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis, is where the thyroid gland produces too much of the thyroid hormones. You can get checked by requesting a simple blood test. Overall, Innovative Trials are passionate about increasing awareness in women’s health. We have worked to support multiple studies in this area including: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) statistics: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion continue to be high on our agenda, and we are working behind the scenes to push this forward. Keep your eyes peeled for more. Read our previous blog around disability in the workplace here. Find out how we’re working with clients to ensure greater patient diversity in clinical trials.Women’s Health
Innovative Trials are passionate about ensuring our diverse population is adequately represented within medical research. Whether it is wanting to see more people from underrepresented communities choosing science as a career and pushing for greater patient diversity in clinical trials or focusing on what we are doing internally to celebrate and promote equality and diversity.
Cervical Health Awareness
Thyroid Awareness
Women’s Health