Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee

Conclusion 47

1st Report - Women's reproductive health conditions Published 11 Dec 2024 Paragraph 180 Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Finding the causes of women’s reproductive health conditions and new and better diagnostic tools and treatments for them cannot happen without sufficient research, which includes all groups of women and others affected, at different life stages. Yet research remains lacking because it is not adequately prioritised by funders or commissioners and is not incentivised enough in clinical academia. While these issues are recognised by the Women’s Health Strategy for England and some positive work is underway, the Government needs to be more ambitious and more targeted approaches are needed.

From: Women and Equalities Committee, 1st Report - Women's reproductive health conditions (HC 337), paragraph 180, 11 December 2024

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 5 March 2025 (deadline 11 February 2025).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government "welcomes" the Committee's report on women's reproductive health conditions and says its response details its position on the recommendations and the work it is doing so that "everyone receives the care that they deserve".

  • The government says it recognises "how important this topic is" and is grateful to those who contributed to the inquiry.
  • It states that, despite reproductive health conditions being "very common", women and girls "still face challenges accessing care".
  • It lists issues the report highlights, including a lack of awareness of what a 'normal' period is, delayed diagnoses, and the need for more research.
  • It also lists the importance of education and continued professional development for healthcare professionals among the issues the report highlights.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error