What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Changed:10.12. Expresses concern that despite improvements to inclusivity in clinical trials, the representation of women and gender-diverse people remains below that of men and should be strengthened by introducing sex-disaggregated reporting; stresses that there are no inclusivity requirements in the pretrial phase and that the majority of animal testing is still conducted on males of the species only; stresses the need for clinical trials to take into account differences in outcomes pertaining to hormonal fluctuations and life stages; recognises that pregnant women are often excluded from clinical trials; calls on the Commission to introduce mandatory requirements for sex- and gender-sensitivesex-sensitive research design throughout the full research cycle, including in the pretrial phase and animal testing, to address the ongoing imbalance in clinical trial participation;

Added:13. Clarifies that, in the specific context of animal testing, research design should better take into account biological sex and the study of sex-based biological differences;

Changed:13.16. Stresses that the lack of understanding of sex- and gender-based differences in health is exacerbated by the fact that the data outcomes of research are rarely disaggregated by sex and gender; calls on the Commission to makepromote the collection and reporting of sex- and gender-disaggregated data mandatory in all EU-funded projects so as to ensure accountability and the effective use of public resources; notes that AI could be used to identify sex or gender biases in existing or historical research to prevent the need to repeat the research; warns, however, that the use of AI must be monitored closely to ensure that it does not impose biases;

Changed:18.21. Underlines that medical professionals must act in a non-discriminatory manner; urges the Member States, in close cooperation with the medical profession and educational institutions, to integrate compulsory, gender-sensitive, intersectional and patient-centred healthcare training into their medical, nursing and obstetrics curricula to ensure that medical professionals are equipped to recognise and respond to the specific needs of women and girls, including through training on gender prejudice, on pain management, on SRHR, on the prevention of discrimination, on conditions with a high prevalence in women, on how symptoms and treatment needs may change across hormonal life stages and on the wider recognition of gender-specific symptoms; stresses that such training should also include teaching on gender and cultural sensitivity; underlines that the development of measures to make diagnostic and treatment processes more gender-sensitive and responsive must take full account of real patient experiences;

Changed:58.61. Welcomes the publication of the Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 and the commitments therein to addressing the inequalities in women’s healthcare and advancing SRHR; calls for the Commission to complement the Gender Equality Strategy in its forthcoming policy and budgetary measures by prioritising and incentivising dedicated and targeted investment in women’s health; stresses that investment in gender-specific conditions should reflect their severity and prevalence, while continuing to support research into rare diseases; points out that upcoming strategies must incorporate an integrated approach to care and the goal of improving physical and mental health;

Added:64. Underlines that a competitive, enterprise-driven economy is essential to sustaining high-quality healthcare and delivering better health outcomes for women; calls for policies that reward medical innovation, attract private investment and support economic growth, while removing unnecessary regulatory burdens that hold back European health businesses, researchers and the development of new treatments for women;

Changed:T. whereas gender inequalities, including the unequal allocation of informal and unpaid care responsibilities and disproportionate exposure to gender-based violence, the burden of chronic pain and gender-specific conditions, as well as socio-economic status, contribute to higher rates of anxiety, depression and stress-related conditions among women; whereas girls and women are exposed from an early age to persistent social, cultural and commercial pressures related to beauty standards, which promote unrealistic body ideals and disproportionately affect their self-esteem, mental health and well-being; whereas eating disorders are among the most enfeebling psychiatric conditions that affect young women, with at least one person dying as a direct result of an eating disorder every 62 minutes; whereas premenstrual dysphoric disorder affects at least 1.61,6 % of women;

Changed:Y. whereas cancer is the second-greatest cause of death in the EU and has a higher mortality rate among men than women; whereas approximately 12 million European women are living with cancer, and more than 1.21,2 million women are diagnosed with cancer in the EU every year, with nearly 600 000 losing their lives; whereas the 2022 EU target to offer cancer screenings to at least 90 % of those eligible by 2025 has not been met universally across the EU;

Changed:AH. whereas 85 % of women experience menopause symptoms; whereas by 2030, an estimated 1.21,2 billion women globally will be experiencing menopause; whereas reproductive and hormonal shifts such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause have a profound impact on women’s physical, mental and social well-being throughout their lives; whereas menopause and perimenopause remain insufficiently recognised as major health and social issues, with associated symptoms widely disregarded, leading to unequal access to specialist and evidence-based care, unequal availability of hormone therapies and inadequate workplace accommodations; whereas the lack of adequate menopause care contributes to stigma, discrimination at work and a deterioration in quality of life, with direct consequences for economic independence and social participation;

Changed:AK. whereas metabolic diseases such as diabetes are diagnosed about 4.54,5 years later in women than in men and woman experience significantly worse long-term health outcomes than men, including a 30 % higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease; whereas women with type 1 diabetes are four times more likely to develop pre-eclampsia and women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a high probability of developing type 2 diabetes within five years of giving birth; whereas children born to mothers with GDM are up to six times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity than those born to mothers without GDM;

Changed:36.39. Expresses concern that, despite cardiovascular disease and heart diseases being the leading causes of death among women, women are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed, in part due to the fact that women’s symptoms present differently to men’s; stresses that gender-specific biological, social and psychosocial risk factors play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease and heart disease in women; emphasises that late diagnosis delays access to timely and appropriate care, further increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications; underlines that women living with diabetes and other metabolic diseases are, on average, diagnosed up to 4.54,5 years later than men, and face an approximately 30 % higher risk of cardiovascular mortality; supports a strong EU framework for combating major diseases, including cardiovascular conditions, ensuring equal access for women to preventative care, early diagnosis, treatment and survivorship support;

Changed:38.41. Highlights the fact that cancer is the second-greatest cause of death in the EU, affecting more men than women, on average; notes that some cancers present differently in men than in women, and some cancers are specific to, or more prevalent in, certain sexes; expresses concern that, on average, cancer in women is diagnosed 2.52,5 years later than it is in men; underlines that more research is required into the impact of sex/gender factors on the occurrence of cancer, how it manifests and how it responds to existing treatments;

Changed:C. whereas poverty and social exclusion have a significant impact on health outcomes and access to healthcare; whereas women face greater financial barriers than men in accessing health services; whereas these barriers are further exacerbated for vulnerable groups, who often face additional layers of discrimination and encounter multiple barriers to accessing inclusive, culturally sensitive and quality healthcare;

Changed:AE. whereas menstrual poverty – to be understood as insufficient access to menstrual hygiene products and facilities – affects an estimated 10 % of the menstruating population,women, particularly women with low incomes, refugees, young peoplegirls and women with disabilities;