Why The Five & One?
Because women make up 51% of the population — yet still get treated like a special interest group. This newsletter flips that script. Each issue gives you 5 smart takeaways from the world of research, policy, health, wellness, and trends +1 bonus topic just for you.
When women’s health is prioritized, everyone benefits: families, communities, and workplaces.
You’re receiving this because you’re part of our community — as a Member or a Five & One subscriber. Each week, you’ll get news, policy updates, and actions that put your voice at the center of changing women’s health. Once a month, Members receive exclusive deep dives into policy, practical health guides, and resources to help you take action.
We’re building a $900M funding engine for women’s health by making it a mainstream priority. We’re now recruiting our first 1,000 members in stealth.
Not a member yet? Want to know more? Now’s the time to join us.
We’re always learning about the women’s health system — even after decades of working in it. If we miss something or misspeak below, please reply and let us know so we can correct it in our next issue.
Week 3: 5 ICYMI Headlines to Know & A Deep Dive Into Reimbursement
JAMA launches JAMA+ Women's Health
"Recognizing that women’s health is more comprehensive than reproductive care, gynecologic and breast cancer, and menopause, JAMA+ Women’s Health will showcase rigorous studies that include or focus exclusively on women from across JAMA and the 12 JAMA Network journals." - JAMA News Release
Melinda French Gates Announces $100M Funding Partnership For Women's Health
"The aim of the partnership is to accelerate research in areas with the highest burdens of disease and death, and which often affect women differently or disproportionately when compared to men, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, and mental health." - Reuters
FDA Fast Tracks Ovarian Cancer Drug
"The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track status to stenoparib, an ovarian cancer drug for patients who cannot tolerate platinum-based treatments." - Femtechworld.co.uk
Queen Latifah Named Spokeswoman as WeightWatchers Launches First Comprehensive Menopause Program
"WeightWatchers Clinic has expanded to include clinicians specifically trained in menopause care. These members receive comprehensive consultations, individualized care plans, and, when appropriate, prescription options such as HRT, GLP-1s, or other evidence-based treatments, all monitored by licensed clinicians." - WW.com
Mediterranean Diet May Help Women Manage Menopause Symptoms
"Study findings revealed that participants who adhered most closely to the Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely to experience moderate to severe vasomotor (hot flashes; -80% lower) and mild to severe sexual symptoms (-83% lower) than those who adhered least." - news-medical.net
Beyond the Headlines: Members-Only Deep Dives
At The Five & One, we know the stories behind women’s health aren’t abstract—they’re personal. They show up in seven-minute OB/GYN visits that leave you with more questions than answers. In the clinic that closes before your neighbor can deliver her baby. In the quiet frustration of knowing your care is treated as less valuable than a man’s.
That’s why, starting today, we’re doing something new: Members-Only Deep Dives. Once a month, we’ll go beneath the surface and expose the hidden mechanics that decide how women are cared for—and too often, how they’re failed. This isn’t about policy in the abstract. It’s about your body, your family, your future.
Maria waited nine months for her appointment. Nine months of symptoms. Nine months of worry. By the time she finally sat on the exam table, she clutched a list of questions she’d rehearsed again and again.
When the doctor walked in, Maria expected relief. Instead, the visit ended almost as soon as it began. A handful of quick questions. A cursory exam. Seven minutes, and it was over. No space for the questions she had prepared. No time for the fear that had kept her awake at night. She walked out wondering: is this really all the care I get?
If that sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve felt it too—or your sister has, or your best friend. Different doctors. Different cities. But the same endless waits, the same rushed feeling, the same quiet fear.
It isn’t bad luck. It’s the math—the math that decides how much your doctor gets paid for the services she provides for you. In healthcare circles, this is called reimbursement. And it quietly tells the system which care matters, and which can be cut short. And when the patient is a woman, the value is lower.
That’s why Maria’s time ran out. The system pays less for women’s care, so women get less care. Sometimes the differences are staggering: a prostate biopsy is reimbursed at three times the rate of an endometrial biopsy. Same procedure. Same skill. One respected, one discounted.
For Maria, that hidden math meant her bleeding went unaddressed, her questions unheard, her fear dismissed. For her doctor — a woman who had chosen OB/GYN because she wanted to care for women like Maria — it meant seven minutes was all the system would allow. And for all of us, it means the same uneasy story repeats itself in every city, every exam room, every friend’s complaint.
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To continue reading this article, join us as a Member to get full access to this report and all future deep-dive content from us. We’re building a $900M funding engine for women’s health by making it a mainstream priority. We’re now recruiting our first 1,000 members in stealth.
go to www.changewomenshealth.com