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Women's health survey
November 2026
1.
Where do you believe the greatest unmet needs in women’s health currently exist? Select up to three.
Menstrual health and endometriosis
Fertility and reproductive health
Pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care
Menopause and perimenopause
Cardiovascular health
Cancer and screening
Mental health
Auto-immune and chronic conditions
Other
Comments
2.
How well do you think women’s health needs are currently served by healthcare systems and available treatments in Ireland?
Very Poorly
Poorly
Average
Well
Very Well
Very Poorly
Poorly
Average
Well
Very Well
Comments
3.
What is the single biggest barrier to innovation in women’s health?
Lack of funding and investment
Insufficient research and clinical data
Historical underrepresentation of women in research
Regulatory complexity
Limited awareness among clinicians and patients
Lack of commercial incentives
Difficulties accessing healthcare systems
Reimbursement/public procurement
Other
Comments
4.
How competitive is Ireland as a location for developing and commercialising women's health innovations?
Highly competitive
Somewhat competitive
Not competitive
5.
Do you believe women’s health innovation receives an appropriate level of investment relative to its unmet needs and market potential?
Yes
No
Partially
6.
Which areas of innovation have the greatest potential to transform women’s health over the next five years? Select up to three.
AI and digital health
Diagnostics and earlier detection
Personalised medicine
Medical devices and wearables
New drugs and therapeutics
Preventive care
Comments
7.
How confident are you that women’s health innovations are being developed using sufficient, representative clinical evidence?
Very Confident
Confident
Neutral
Slightly confident
Not at all cofident
Very Confident
Confident
Neutral
Slightly confident
Not at all cofident
8.
What would most accelerate the translation of women’s health research into real-world patient benefits?
More public and private funding
Better collaboration between academia, clinicians and industry
Faster regulatory pathways
Greater patient involvement in research and design
Improved access to clinical trials and real-world data
Better reimbursement and procurement pathways
Stronger government policy and incentives
9.
How effectively are patients’ experiences and perspectives incorporated into the design of women’s health innovations?
Very effectively
Somewhat effectively
Not very effectively
Not at all effectively
Unsure
10.
What role should policymakers, regulators and legal frameworks play in accelerating women’s health innovation while protecting patients?
Primarily remove barriers to innovation
Primarily strengthen patient protections
Balance both equally
Current frameworks are broadly adequate
Unsure
11.
If you could make one change to improve the future of women’s health, what would it be?
12.
How confident are you that you know which regulatory regime applies to your product, for example the EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR), the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) or general consumer product rules?
Very confident
Somewhat confident
Not confident
Not yet considered
13.
Which forms of IP protection have you put in place for your innovation? (Tick all that apply)
Patents
Trade marks
Registered designs
Trade secrets/confidentiality protection
Copyright
None yet/unsure what is appropriate
14.
Do you believe Irish women's health innovators have better opportunities to secure investment and grow their businesses overseas than in Ireland?
Yes
No
