In this powerful episode of Health Applied, we’re joined by Chantal Cox, a former NHS doctor turned venture capitalist, to unpack the gender bias in healthcare, the lack of funding in women’s health, and why women are so often misdiagnosed, dismissed, and underserved by the medical system.

We talk openly about:

• Why healthcare is designed around male bodies

• The shocking lack of research funding into women’s health

• Pregnancy loss, miscarriage care & postnatal trauma

• Why women’s pain isn’t taken seriously

• The venture capital funding gap in femtech & women-led health startups

• How women are forced to advocate for themselves in broken systems

• Why every woman seems to have a healthcare horror story

⚠️ Content note: This episode includes discussion of pregnancy loss and miscarriage.

Chapters:

00:00 – “Healthcare treats women as small men”

00:30 – Introducing Chantal Cox & the gender bias in healthcare

02:17 – From NHS doctor to venture capitalist

05:17 – The shocking lack of funding in women’s health

08:07 – Why women’s health startups struggle to get investment

10:28 – Money, confidence & why women struggle to raise funding

14:19 – Social media algorithms & silencing women’s voices

17:47 – Why women’s healthcare experiences are so broken

20:19 – Advocating for yourself in medical emergencies

21:36 – Pregnancy pain dismissed & misdiagnosis

24:53 – Miscarriage, trauma & navigating care alone

30:17 – Why every woman has a healthcare horror story

31:45 – Childbirth, fear & lack of proper support

33:08 – What is a doula & why women need advocates

36:41 – Birth choices, C-sections & maternal mortality

38:56 – Breastfeeding pressure & postnatal reality

41:41 – Is the NHS fixable? The future of women’s healthcare

43:17 – Final thoughts & call to action

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