12 Days of Women’s Health Wins

Dec 22

Written By Comma

    
    Published December 22, 2025
  
    7 min read
  
    Written By Amanda Morin

— THE SHORT VERSION

Despite a challenging year for women's health, 2025 brought meaningful progress across research, policy, innovation, and patient care.
Highlights include improved menopause care, new pain management guidelines for IUD insertions, advances in endometriosis and cervical cancer screening, and major investments in women's health research.
Other milestones ranged from the first female crash test dummy and expanded paid leave for NICU parents to increased awareness driven by public advocates and growing research into female athlete health.
These wins are a reminder that progress often happens step by step—and that continued investment, advocacy, and innovation are helping shape a more equitable future for women's healthcare.

A Season for Noticing Progress

This year hasn’t always brought easy headlines when it comes to women’s and reproductive health. From funding cuts to ongoing challenges around abortion access, progress has often felt uncertain and hard-won.

But as the holiday season arrives, we wanted to pause and name the moments that did move us forward. Welcome to 12 Days of Women’s Health Wins—a look back at meaningful advances from 2025 that signal care, momentum, and hope. Consider it a reminder that even in difficult years, progress is still happening—and worth celebrating.

Day 1: Hormone Therapy for Menopause Gets a Long-Overdue Reframe

The FDA has removed the black box warning on hormone replacement therapy used to manage menopausal symptoms. For decades, this warning listed the risk of breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke (which was based on outdated science) and deterred countless women from taking hormone therapy.

By removing this label, the FDA helps move menopause care away from fear-based messaging and toward evidence-based decision-making. Hormone replacement therapy is finally getting the trust it deserves, as it serves as the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, sleep disruption, vaginal dryness, urinary tract infections, and for reducing fracture risk.

Day 2: Pain Management is Finally Being Taken Seriously in IUD Care

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released updated recommendations encouraging local anesthetics and pain relief options during IUD insertions and other gynecological procedures.

For many patients, IUD insertions have long been a painful experience, with discomfort often dismissed as “part of the process.” These updated guidelines aim to make comprehensive pain management a standard part of patient-provider conversations, giving patients greater control over how their pain is managed.

Day 3: New Biomarker Test Could Detect Endometriosis in 10 Minutes

Researchers at Penn State University have developed a proof-of-concept device that can detect HMGB1, a biomarker strongly linked to endometriosis, inmenstrual blood. Like a pregnancy test, it shows results within 10 minutes. This non-invasive test could provide an alternative to the current diagnostic standard—invasive surgery to check for tissue growth—and help shorten the average 10-year delay many people face before receiving a diagnosis.

Day 4: At-Home Test Can Screen for Cervical Cancer

The American Cancer Society recently updated its guidelines to include at-home HPV self-collection testing—a shift that could help prevent the thousands of U.S. women who die from cervical cancer each year, despite it being highly preventable. These tests reliably detect high-risk HPV, the virus responsible for nearly all cervical cancers, and may help close long-standing gaps for people who avoid or can’t access in-clinic exams. It’s a reminder that prevention works best when care meets people where they are.

Teal Health has done just this, with their new Teal Wand, that offers FDA-approved self-collection for high-risk HPV to screen for cervical cancer. Kudos to Teal!

Day 5: AI Platform Predicts 5-Year Risk of Breast Cancer

Clarity Breast is the first FDA-authorized AI platform that predicts a woman’s five-year risk of developing breast cancer. By analyzing millions of mammogram images alongside five-year outcome data, Clarity is able to detect subtle patterns in breast tissue that may indicate future cancer, even when the mammogram looks normal to the human eye. The platform provides personalized, validated risk scores that can guide follow-up care before signs of disease appear. Since 85% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history, traditional risk models often miss them—making tools like Clarity especially important in closing critical gaps in breast cancer care.

Day 6: Gates Foundation Commits $2.5 Billion to Women’s Health Research

The Gates Foundation pledged a $2.5 billion investment through 2030 to advance research and innovation in women’s health—from obstetric care to menstrual health and contraceptive development. The commitment acknowledges how much of women’s health has historically been underfunded, under-researched, and overlooked, and aims to help close those gaps.

Day 7: Colorado Becomes First State to Expand Paid Leave for Parents of Babies in the NICU

Colorado has become the first state to create a paid Neonatal Care Leave that provides parents with up to 12 additional weeks of time off when a newborn is in intensive care. Nearly 400,000 families face their newborn being admitted to the NICU, and with this Neonatal Care Leave beginning Jan 1, 2026, parents will not have to choose between a paycheck and being with their baby during this crucial time.

Day 8: UConn Installs Emergency Contraception Vending Machines

The University of Connecticut piloted emergency contraception vending machines on campus, leveraging a law that allows pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives and making over-the-counter access even easier for students.

Day 9: U.S. Department of Transportation Release First Female Crash Test Dummy

Over 10,000 women die in car crashes each year because safety tests and equipment are primarily designed for male bodies. The data is clear: women are less likely than men to be in a crash, but they are 17% more likely to die when one occurs. To improve safety outcomes for women, the U.S. Department of Transportation has introduced its first female crash test dummy, designed to reflect key physical differences in anatomy to guide vehicle designs and safety measures like seat belts and airbags. This took far too long, but nonetheless, a major win in 2025.

Day 10: Celebrity Voices Raise Endometriosis Awareness

Multiple public figures shared personal experiences with conditions like endometriosis in 2025, helping destigmatize chronic pain disorders and encouraging awareness and earlier care-seeking. Most recently, actress Lili Reinhart shared her experience with endometriosis, hoping to empower other women to advocate for their pain and never take no for an answer when it comes to their health.

Day 11: Michelle Kang Invests $25 Million in Women’s Soccer Health

Michelle Kang has invested $25 million in women’s soccer health, launching the Kang Women’s Institute to help push the game—and its players—forward. For too long, female athletes have trained, recovered, and played based on models designed for men. Kang knows it’s time for that to change. The Institute will lead the first comprehensive national study to understand the needs of female players at every level—from injury prevention to mental health to menstrual health—so athletes can perform, recover, and thrive on their own terms.

Day 12: Rise of the Women’s Health Resort

The idea of a women’s health resort has taken wellness to the next level. Canyon Ranch plans to launch its third location in 2026, focusing on perimenopause and menopause symptom relief. Other resorts are offering programs to address fertility, pelvic floor dysfunction, and more. A space for treatment, education, and holistic wellness, these retreats are focused on real health needs of women at every stage of life.

Closing the Year with Hope

While the headlines can feel heavy, there is meaningful work happening every day to make women’s and reproductive healthcare more accessible, evidence-based, and equitable. This year’s wins remind us that progress doesn’t always arrive loudly—but it does arrive through research, investment, and people who refuse to accept the status quo.

As we head into the holiday season, we hope these moments offer a sense of relief, reassurance, and optimism for what’s possible. There is still so much work ahead—but there is also momentum, care, and hope to carry forward into the new year.

With love and gratitude,

The Comma Team