Elaine Galston on an event aiming to revolutionise women’s health

For generations, women have been told to “just get on with it” -  whether that’s powering through painful periods, bouncing back from childbirth, or navigating menopause in silence. But this silence comes at a cost. A lack of education, clinical research, and accessible care has left too many women feeling dismissed, misdiagnosed, and unsupported at every stage of life.

That’s why we created Bettii Presents - Scotland’s new flagship event for women’s health, taking place this autumn. It’s a day focused on getting back to basics, cutting through the noise, and bringing together trusted experts, impactful charities, amazing products and real-life stories. Because if we want to move forward, we need to start with the facts.

A system that wasn’t built for us

Women’s health has long been under-researched, underfunded, and misunderstood.

Until recently, most clinical trials excluded women. A 1982 study analysing the effect of a daily aspirin on heart disease, tested over 22,000 men and zero women. Today women are more than twice as likely to die in the 30 days after a heart attack than men. In 1986, a study exploring how obesity impacts breast and uterine cancer used only male participants. But even after women’s involvement in clinical research was legislated in 1993, the results remained concerning.

In 2015, the American regulatory body, the FDA, asked the makers of Adyyi, a ”female Viagra”, to test the drugs effect when taken with alcohol. Of the 25 people studied, only two were women.  

And it took nearly seven years for a study on endometriosis to be retracted from medical journals. The reason? Instead of studying a potential cure or a way of managing this painful, life altering condition, researchers investigated whether women with rectovaginal endometriosis were more or less attractive than those without the condition. This was judged on breast to waist ratio and facial features.

Many conditions that disproportionately affect women - like endometriosis, PMDD, pelvic pain, or perimenopause - remain poorly understood and are rarely taught in medical training.

As a result, women often face long waits, fragmented care, and a healthcare system that doesn’t always hear them. But we’re not here to dwell on the problems. We’re here to start changing them.

A day of clarity, connection, and care

Bettii Presents is a one-day event that explores the full spectrum of women’s health - from menstrual cycles to menopause, chronic pain to heart disease, bone health to breast checks. We’ll talk about the 'silent conditions', the ones were told to be embarrassed about - urinary and bowel incontinence, pain with sex and heavy bleeding.

We have over 20 sessions on offer from doctors, consultant gynaecologists, pelvic health physios, clinical pharmacists and specialists across the fitness and wellness spectrum. The sessions are practical, honest, and inclusive, and all our clinicians and specialists will be available throughout the day for conversation, and connection.

And we’ll have 30 stalls with products and services for women and we have yoga, pilates and strength training. We even have an on-site bone scanner. Osteoporosis is not inevitable for women – we can do something about it.

We’re proudly supported by some of the UK’s most impactful health charities and advocacy organisations:

• Heart Research UK will highlight the unique risks and warning signs of heart disease in women, and why too often these go unrecognised. They will offer free blood pressure checks throughout the day.
• Endometriosis UK brings essential insight into a condition that affects one in 10 women, yet still takes an average of eight years to diagnose.
• CoppaFeel! is changing how we talk about breast health - making self-checks simple, inclusive, and empowering.
• Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland is helping women manage chronic conditions and access compassionate, community-based care. CHS Scotland will offer cholesterol checks to attendees.
• The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) reminds us why co-production, inclusion, and lived experience must sit at the heart of service design.

This isn’t a wellness expo. It’s a wake-up call.

Our mission with Bettii Presents is simple: to make women’s health more understandable, accessible and actionable, for everyone. Whether you're trying to figure out what your period is telling you, navigating a diagnosis, approaching menopause, or just want to understand your body better and feel more in control, then this event is for you.

And while it’s designed with individuals in mind, we also welcome professionals across healthcare, voluntary organisations, life sciences and beyond. Better outcomes for women lead to stronger communities, more resilient families, and a more inclusive society.

Join us. Let’s reimagine what women’s health can look like.

Tickets and full programme details are available at bettiipresents.co.uk.

We’d love to see you there.

Elaine Galston is founder and CEO, Bettii www.bettiipresents.co.uk

Bettii Presents: Scotland's First Full Day Women's Health Event is happening in Glasgow on 5 October – tickets are available here.