International Women's Day 2025: Five significant barriers to women's health and strategies for overcoming them

International Women's Day 2025: Learn about the main barriers to women's health, ranging from mental health to chronic illnesses.International Women's Day 2025: Women's Day is quickly approaching, and it's critical to recognize the challenges women face in terms of their lifestyle and health. "Obesity is a serious health challenge — more than just a number on the scale," stated Dr. Atul NC Peters, senior director of bariatric, minimum access, and general surgery at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital in Saket in an interview with HT Lifestyle. Millions of women around the world are impacted, as are lakhs of Indian women.

Many women deal with the issues related to obesity and its diseases in silence. In addition to destroying reproductive health, it also impacts mental health, raises the chance of chronic illnesses, and causes social stigma.Increased risk of chronic diseases: As weight or waist circumference rises, an obese woman's risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and some types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, and uterine malignancies, can rise dramatically. Frequent blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar checks would help avoid therapy delays. Reducing body weight by even 5–10% can significantly reduce the risk of disease.