March has become consolidated as women's month. Beyond the social demands and symbolic tributes, a new way to celebrate femininity emergesPut health - physical, mental and cellular - at the centre of the conversation.
Although the world's population is roughly balanced (50.31 PTP3T males and 49.71 PTP3T females), longevity tells a different story. Women live, on average, almost four years longer than men. The gap widens with age: from the age of 80 onwards, almost two thirds of the population are women, and among centenarians, eight out of ten are women.
At first glance, it seems like a biological advantage. However, living longer does not necessarily mean living better. Many women spend more years living with chronic diseases, functional frailty or loss of quality of life. The real challenge of the 21st century is not just to extend life, but to protect vitality during those extra years.
In this month dedicated to women, the key question is not why we live longer, but how we can live with more energy, clarity and autonomy.
The protective role of oestrogen
For decades, women were excluded from numerous clinical studies because of hormonal fluctuations, considered an “uncomfortable variable”. Today we know that these hormonal dynamics - and in particular oestrogen - are one of the keys to female biological resilience during the fertile period.
Oestrogens do not act only in the reproductive system. Their influence is systemic:
- Cardiovascular health: promote higher levels of HDL cholesterol (the so-called “good” cholesterol), reduce arterial inflammation and lower homocysteine, a marker associated with cardiovascular risk.
- Neurological function: improve cerebral blood flow and have been linked to reduced accumulation of proteins linked to cognitive impairment.
- Cellular ageing: are involved in DNA methylation processes associated with biological ageing and enhance antioxidant systems.
- Immune system: help modulate chronic inflammation.
- Bone health: stimulate bone formation and reduce calcium loss.
In biological terms, oestrogen acts as a protective shield during key years of a woman's life.
The turning point: the menopause
With the onset of menopause, oestrogen levels drop and many of these protections begin to weaken. The risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, metabolic disturbances and cognitive decline increases. This is compounded by sleep disturbances, mood changes, changes in weight and body composition.
The hormonal transition should not be seen as an inevitable decline, but as a strategic moment of readjustment. At the same time, social factors also play a role: women attend medical check-ups more frequently, which increases the diagnosis of chronic pathologies. This does not necessarily imply poorer health, but greater detection.
The question is no longer how long we live, but how we navigate those post-reproductive decades.
From life expectancy to health expectancy
Today's medicine is evolving from a reactive to a preventive and optimising model. In this new paradigm, female longevity is addressed holistically: personalised hormonal balance, regenerative medicine, metabolic optimisation, anti-inflammatory nutrition, microbiome care, stress management and sleep improvement.
In this context, institutions such as SHA Wellness Clinic have developed specific women's health units with a multidisciplinary approach, integrating functional gynaecology, personalised hormonal therapies, pelvic floor physiotherapy, integrative psychology and regenerative treatments. This type of model seeks not only to alleviate symptoms, but to regenerate, prevent and optimise.
March invites us to redefine the celebration of women. Today, celebrating femininity can mean:
- Perform a complete hormone check-up.
- Prioritise rest and stress regulation.
- Initiate a strength programme to protect muscle mass and bone.
- Review nutritional habits with an anti-inflammatory approach.
- Investing in mental health and emotional resilience.
- Adopt technologies that measure biological age and metabolic health.
Taking care of oneself is no longer an aesthetic gesture, but an act of personal leadership.
Longevity with purpose
Female biology offers an advantage in terms of years lived. Precision medicine, the science of healthy ageing and mind-body integration now offer the opportunity to transform that advantage into quality of life.
Post-menopause should not mark the loss of protection, but the beginning of a conscious and strategically designed stage of preserving energy, cognitive strength and independence.
In Women's Month, the most powerful celebration is not symbolic: it is biological. It is deciding to live those extra years with vitality, clarity and all-round well-being.
