Wales has opened its first women’s health research centre, backed by £3m to tackle health inequalities through research and innovation.

The centre, led by Women’s Health Research Wales, marks the first anniversary of the Women’s Health Plan for Wales, published in December 2024.

First minister Eluned Morgan and minister for mental health and wellbeing Sarah Murphy visited staff, researchers and collaborating communities at the launch.

The work covers prevention, early-onset conditions, rare diseases and care for under-served communities.

The centre brings together researchers, NHS partners, industry, policy makers and communities to develop more effective treatments and ensure services meet women’s needs throughout their lives.

It is designed to strengthen investment in women’s health research, including representation in clinical trials.

Morgan said: “I am passionate about improving women’s healthcare.

“To do that, we must invest in research to gather the evidence we need.

Morgan added: “I am delighted to see how the Welsh Government’s £3m investment, through Health and Care Research Wales, is supporting research based on the experiences of women.

“This will result in better care and better health outcomes for women.”

Projects in development include exploring symptom reporting tools to help manage conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Researchers are also investigating how chemicals in menstrual products might affect health, ways to help young people stay active during periods, and pathways to prevent people with polycystic ovary syndrome developing conditions like diabetes and heart disease later in life.

Other projects are exploring fertility issues, including a decision-making tool for women with kidney disease considering whether to have children.

One project is working with women undergoing fertility treatment, investigating why this can lead to mental health issues such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), with the aim of creating guidance for trauma-informed fertility care.

Morgan said: “This innovative new research centre is a key part of the Women’s Health Plan and will help us better understand women’s experiences.

“It will lead to more effective treatments and make sure that our health service delivers improved outcomes for women in Wales.”

Debbie Shaffer is founder and director of Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales and chair of Women’s Health Wales Coalition.

Shaffer said: “Research into health issues experienced by women throughout the life course is vital.

“By working co-productively, in partnership with women and communities, we have a fantastic opportunity to reduce health inequalities and improve treatment options and support.

“We look forward to helping facilitate more opportunities for those with lived experience, whose voices may not have been heard before, to get involved.”

Football injuries during periods are more severe and take longer to heal, though menstruation does not itself raise injury rates, according to new research.

The study monitored 33 elite players competing in Spain’s top women’s football league over four seasons, from 2019/20 to 2022/23, tracking self-reported menstrual cycle data alongside injury records.

The research was led by Dr Eva Ferrer, who specialises in sports medicine at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and is a female health specialist at the Barça Innovation Hub in Barcelona.

“We show that menstruation itself does not increase how often injuries happen,” said Ferrer.

“Although athletes were not injured more often during their period, the injuries that happened during menstruation caused three times more days lost than injuries occurring at other times of the cycle.”

Players logged bleeding and non-bleeding days, the only phases of the menstrual cycle that can be reliably identified without blood hormone testing.

A total of 852 menstrual cycles and 80 lower limb injuries were recorded, 11 of which occurred during menstrual bleeding phases.

The findings showed that injury burden was significantly higher during bleeding phases.

The burden of soft tissue injuries, affecting muscles, tendons and ligaments, was more than three times as high when injuries were sustained during bleeding days compared to non-bleeding days, with 684 versus 206 days lost per 1,000 training hours respectively.

“Hormonal levels may not cause the injury, but they may influence how severe the injury becomes and how long recovery takes,” Ferrer explained.

Low oestrogen levels may reduce muscle repair, while increased fatigue, pain and poor sleep can alter neuromuscular control.

Iron loss can lower endurance and slow recovery, and inflammation heightened during menstruation may cause worse tissue damage.

“Small modifications such as longer warm-ups, adjusted high-speed workload, or added recovery support may help reduce the severity of injuries if they occur,” Ferrer said.

The researchers said their findings have implications beyond professional football for women who exercise regularly.

“You do not necessarily need to avoid training during your period, but you may need to adapt it,” Ferrer said.

“Tracking your cycle and symptoms can help guide training intensity and recovery strategies.”

The study’s limitations include all participants belonging to the same club, the unequal number of bleeding and non-bleeding days in a cycle potentially limiting statistical power, and the absence of hormone measurements or data on external factors such as stress, sleep and nutrition.

“It supports a growing movement toward female-specific sports science instead of applying male-based research models to women,” Ferrer concluded.