Update in Women's Health
Authors: Marjorie Jenkins, Tedd L. Mitchell, Steven L. Berk
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

Letters19 November 2013Update in Women's HealthMarjorie Jenkins, MD, Tedd L. Mitchell, MD, and Steven L. Berk, MDMarjorie Jenkins, MDFrom Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.Search for more papers by this author, Tedd L. Mitchell, MDFrom Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.Search for more papers by this author, and Steven L. Berk, MDFrom Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-10-201311190-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We recognize that McNamara and Walsh (1) primarily categorized women's health according to the standard topics of breast, bone, and reproductive health and screening. Focusing on customary women's health topics reinforces the current ideology, which implies that human organ systems function similarly whether the patient is male or female. This view fails to include the emerging body of knowledge about sex and gender differences in health and disease, which evidence-based guidelines explain (2, 3). As such, approaching women's health through the lens of gender-specific medicine is defined as the science of how typical human biology differs between ...References1. McNamara M, Walsh JM. Update in women's health: evidence published in 2012. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159:203-9. [PMID: 23579223] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Legato M. Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2011. Google Scholar3. Mosca L, Benjamin EJ, Berra K, Bezanson JL, Dolor RJ, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Effectiveness-based guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in women—2011 update: a guideline from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123:1243-62. [PMID: 21325087] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Wizemann TM, Pardue M-L. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter? Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2001. Google Scholar5. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Sex and Gender-Based Medicine Curriculum. Accessed at www.ttuhsc.edu/som/curriculum/sgbm_curriculum.aspx on 31 August 2013. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Marjorie Jenkins, MD; Tedd L. Mitchell, MD; Steven L. Berk, MDAffiliations: From Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.Disclosures: Dr. Jenkins: Consultancy: Novo Nordisk. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoUpdate in Women's Health: Evidence Published in 2012 Megan McNamara and Judith M.E. Walsh Update in Women's Health Megan C. McNamara and Judith M.E. Walsh Metrics 19 November 2013Volume 159, Issue 10Page: 719KeywordsHealth careHealth care sectorHealth screeningHealth services researchMedical educationObstetrics and gynecologyOsteoporosisProphylaxisSexual identitySystems biology ePublished: 19 November 2013 Issue Published: 19 November 2013 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2013 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...