A study by Australian researchers revealed that companies are exploiting feminist messages about women’s health to market wrongful health tests and treatments. According to the paper which published in the British Medical Journal, these marketing strategies reflect those historically employed for promoting harmful products like tobacco and alcohol to women. The researchers claim that the misuse of these wellness messages may potentially expose women to over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatments.
A technology that came under criticism is the menstrual tracking apps claiming to diagnose reproductive disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome. They promise empowerment through knowledge and control, despite the lack of substantial evidence to demonstrate their accuracy and benefits. The researchers argue that the issue isn’t the use of health technologies, tests, and treatments but in the way they are marketed to larger groups of women, without emphasizing their limitations.
The paper also criticized the marketing of the AMH test, a fertility tool used to measure the levels of antimüllerian hormone in blood. This hormone is associated with the number of eggs a woman has; however, the test cannot accurately predict fertility chances. Regardless, numerous fertility clinics and online businesses advertise and sell this test, using phrases like “information is power” and “take charge of your fertility.”
Dr. Brooke Nickel, the paper’s senior author, states that the responsibility of understanding these health messages and the potential benefits and risks of products should not be solely on women. She insists that companies marketing these health products should be clearer about their limitations. Additionally, she highlights the role of healthcare professionals and governments in educating the public and countering commercially-driven messages. They also need to regulate the marketing of unproven health interventions more effectively.
Dr. Karin Hammarberg, from Monash University’s global and women’s health unit, supports this claim. She believes that when women’s desire for empowerment is linked to flawed and unhelpful products, it essentially amounts to false advertising. She argues that regulatory enforcement for online therapeutic good advertisements, including vitamins and minerals, need to be stronger.
Source: Companies marketing useless health products to women using feminist wellbeing messages.
