Until recently, researchers did not know that women and men tend to react differently to medications, or even that they tend to get different types of illnesses. In the past, most physicians were men who unknowingly applied the findings from medical research on male subjects to treatments for women without realizing there were significant differences. Women tend to be smaller and metabolize medication more slowly than do men, and they tend to have a higher incidence of migraines, eating disorders, and heart-valve problems in response to mental health prescriptions. In women, drugs like aspirin and Valium remain in their body longer. Women are twice as prone to depression and anxiety disorders.
Men are more subject to violent behavior, alcoholism, and drug abuse.
Discrepancies in treatment are equaling out a bit but not totally. Doctors still tend to evaluate men more thoroughly than they do women. When a doctor recommends a pill or a procedure, female patients should always ask whether its effects have been studied on women. Learning about gender-specific biology isn't an emotional issue, a feminist issue, or even a politically correct issue. It is a medical issue that should be afforded the attention it deserves.