Don't make women's health just a woman's issue.
“They haven't seemed like themselves lately.”
“Don't you feel like they've been making more mistakes at work?”
“They seem more irritable than before, don't they?”
“I wonder if they're feeling okay?”
When I talk to friends who are in management, I often hear things like this.
And there is always one phrase that follows.
“...But what am I supposed to say to them?”
Yes, in this day and age, even bosses are struggling.
“You look like you're feeling under the weather, are you okay?”
That much I can say.
But,
“Is it menopause?”
If I say something like that... Yes, that's a strike!
No, I'm not joking; it really is difficult.
Sexual harassment?
Power harassment?
Privacy?
“Well then, I'll just say nothing.”
That's what ends up happening.
But, I can't help but think...
Isn't that a situation where no one is at fault, yet no one can help?
Women's health is not just a women's issue.
In their 40s and 50s, women's bodies undergo various changes.
Can't sleep
Easily tired
Sweating
Cannot concentrate
Feeling irritable
Feeling depressed
Having headaches
Having heart palpitations
And,
"I feel somewhat different from my usual self." That feeling.
Even the person themselves,
"Is this menopause?"
"Is it just my age?"
is struggling with these questions.
Much less can a supervisor accurately judge that.
A supervisor is not a doctor.
There is no need to diagnose a subordinate's body.
However,
We can create an environment where we can ask, "You seem to be having a hard time lately, is there anything you're struggling with?"
And we can do that.
And,
"It's okay to consult a professional if you need to."
we can offer options.
I believe there is great potential here.
You don't have to ask, "Is it menopause?"
This is extremely important.
In management training,
"Let's learn to spot menopause in our subordinates!"
If we do that, I'm actually worried.
There is no need for a boss to identify a subordinate's menopause.
Instead,
"How have you been lately?"
"Is there anything you're struggling with at work?"
"Please let me know if you need any accommodations regarding your health."
We can say these things.
And when the person feels it is necessary, they can connect with medical care or consultation services.
In other words,
not a "boss who diagnoses," but a "boss who creates an environment where it's easy to consult."
I believe this is much more important.
And when we look at the data...
There is a survey conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2024, targeting 2,000 companies in Tokyo.
Regarding whether they have employees struggling with menopausal symptoms,
70.4% of companies said they "do not know."
As for issues like PMS or postpartum hormonal imbalances,
77.6% said they "do not know."
Furthermore, the percentage of companies utilizing femtech to support female employees is,
a mere 2.0%.
When I saw these numbers, I did not think,
"Companies don't value women!"
That is not what I thought.
Rather,
"Oh, everyone is struggling."
That is what I thought.
The women themselves are struggling.
In fact, their bosses are struggling too.
And the companies are struggling as well.
But,
no one is to blame.
It's just that,
they don't know what to do.
That's all it is.
In that case,
we should make it so they understand.
I believe that is where the value of having medical professionals involved lies.
Companies, too, actually don't know what they should be doing.
In another survey by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the reasons companies struggle with addressing women's health issues include:
They don't know what they should do.
That is the feedback being raised.
And,
they have no way to ask about symptoms,
the individuals themselves don't want to talk about it,
and they are worried about it becoming sexual harassment.
These are some of the concerns being voiced.
……Just as I thought.
Everyone is struggling.
That is why I think:
Simply asking companies to 'support women more' is not enough.
We need someone to think together with them about 'how to provide that support.'
That is why I want to start from the local community.
This is where my new challenge begins.
I am currently preparing to make a proposal regarding women's health support to Ashiya City, where I live.
And one more thing.
I am also preparing to make a proposal to Kadena Town in Okinawa Prefecture, where I was born and raised.
Why Kadena?
Because it is where I come from.
I grew up in a town in Okinawa and became an adult while feeling the lives of many people close to me.
And now, for over 28 years, I have been facing the bodies and lives of women as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
I want to give back that experience to the town where I grew up.
I thought about this over the past few days as I recalled the environment I grew up in, hearing strange cries.
Ashiya and Kadena.
The town where I live now, and the town where I was born and raised.
Even if the locations are different, there must surely be commonalities in the worries that women face.
Young women knowing about their own bodies.
Working women not having to bear changes in their physical condition alone.
Not thinking that menopause is something you just have to endure.
And being able to connect with medical care when necessary.
I am thinking about whether I can create such an environment within the community.
Companies alone cannot do it. Medical care alone cannot do it.
The government cannot do it alone.
That is precisely why,
Community × Companies × Healthcare × Women
we will connect these together.
This is what I want to achieve with Project HER.
Women themselves learn about their own bodies.
Companies and managers also learn about women's health.
The government creates spaces for consultation and education.
Healthcare professionals connect people to medical care when needed.
If each of us takes on a small role, we can change the environment surrounding women.
I am stepping outside the hospital.
For over 28 years, I have been inside the examination room.
And now, I feel there is a limit to supporting women only within the examination room.
To women before they even come to the hospital.
To women who are wondering, 'Is it okay to consult about this?'
And,
'I'm worried, but I don't know how to reach out'
to bosses who are struggling with this.
I want to deliver medical knowledge and options for consultation.
That is Project HER.
I have heard from my friends in management positions,
"Nowadays, everything is called harassment, so I can't say anything to my subordinates."
I have heard them say this.
If that's the case, we as medical professionals should,
"This is how you should reach out to them,"
"From this point on, you should connect them with a specialist,"
"What can we do to ensure the individual can make their own choices?"
we should be able to convey these things.
Instead of just dumping the responsibility on bosses by telling them to 'study women's bodies,'
we should create a system where neither bosses nor women are left in a difficult position.
Isn't that what true support for women is all about?
I have 28 years of experience.
I have practiced insurance-covered medicine.
I have also taken on the challenge of private practice.
I have also experienced running a clinic.
And because I have let go of everything, there are things I can see now.
What I truly want to do is to bring medical care further outside of the hospital.
Instead of helping women only after they are in trouble,
I want them to know before they get into trouble.
Instead of waiting until they are suffering to seek medical attention,
When you are lost, you can seek advice.
And,
You can choose your own body and your own life.
I want to create such a society.
That is why I will continue to make proposals.
To Ashiya,
To Kadena,
To companies,
To communities,
To the government,
And to the women who do not know me yet.
"Making women's health not just a women's issue."
This is my proposal.
Now then.
What door shall I open next?
Project HER, Unstoppable. 🔥
To the town where I live now.
And to the town that raised me.
This summer, my new challenge begins here.