The Missing Science: Women’s Bodies in Pregnancy and Postpartum

Leading scientists and clinicians on why pregnancy and postpartum care has been under-researched, and what the evidence now tells women.

Description

For decades, women’s health has been studied less, funded less and listened to less. When England’s government asked women about their experiences of care, 84% of respondents said there had been times they were not listened to. Nowhere is that gap felt more physically than in pregnancy, birth and the months after. gov.uk

To mark the launch of BloomCalma™, BiotaLife® brings together leading researchers and clinicians for an honest conversation about what science has, and hasn’t, done for women’s bodies through pregnancy and postpartum.

Prof Paul Long (King’s College London) and Dr Louise Perkins will share what years of research and clinical experience have taught them: how skin and intimate tissue change through pregnancy, why perineal care before and after birth is still so rarely discussed, and what happens when women’s pain is treated as something to put up with. The panel will be moderated by Dr Deborah Spencer (ARC West London), who champions innovation that closes the gaps in women’s healthcare.

What we’ll explore

• Why women’s health research has been underfunded for so long, and what it has cost
• How pregnancy changes skin, intimate tissue and the pelvic floor
• What the evidence says about perineal massage, and why so few women are told about it
• Why the conversation about birth recovery needs to start long before the birth
• What women can ask for, and expect, from their care

Speakers

• Prof Paul Long, Professor of Pharmacognosy and Microbiology at King’s College London, Chief Technology Officer at BiotaLife Healthcare
• Dr Louise Perkins, Consultant Midwife
• Moderated by Dr Deborah Spencer, HealthTech Lead at ARC West London, FemTech Advocate

Can’t make it live? Register anyway. The panel will be recorded, and everyone who signs up will receive the replay to watch in their own time.

Who it’s for
Everyone. If you believe women deserve better evidence, this conversation is for you, whether you’re pregnant, a new mum, a partner, a midwife, a doula, a pelvic health professional, or simply someone who cares about how women are cared for.