Making Women's Health Visible: SHE at the #BeWirkwerkstatt 2030

On April 28, we had the opportunity to present our vision for women's health at the finale of the #BeWirkwerkstatt 2030, run by Upper Austria's Women's Affairs Office (Frauenreferat).

The #BeWirkwerkstatt 2030 brings together women who want to drive social change and take on responsibility. It reflects Upper Austria's Frauen.Leben 2030 women's strategy: women should have equal opportunities in every area of life and be able to actively shape their own future.

One of the strategy's central fields of action is explicitly women's health. That's exactly where SHE comes in.

Women's health needs more nuanced answers

Women in perimenopause and menopause in particular often experience real changes in their bodies.

With the hormonal shift, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and glucose metabolism can all change. Research shows that the menopausal transition in particular can be linked to changes in fat distribution and metabolic health. Read more in this scientific review.

At the same time, women in this stage of life still tend to hear the same generic advice: eat less, move more, stress less. But bodies respond differently — and it's exactly these differences we want to make visible.

CGM as a tool for understanding

With SHE, we use Continuous Glucose Monitoring — CGM for short — not just as a medical measurement device, but as a personal behavior tool.

A small sensor continuously tracks glucose levels. This lets women observe directly how their own body responds in everyday life: after a meal, after exercise, after a bad night's sleep, or during stressful periods.

The goal isn't to produce the most perfect glucose curve possible. It's to recognize patterns.

What works for my body?

Not some average body. Mine.

That's exactly the principle behind our SHE KNOWS program: 14 days to make your everyday life visible, understand the patterns, and turn them into individual, doable changes.

From data to self-efficacy

Health data alone doesn't change anything. Only once we understand what it has to do with our everyday lives does it become truly valuable.

That's exactly why our goal at SHE isn't to give women even more rules. We want to give them a tool to get to know their own body, try things out, and make their own decisions.

Knowledge becomes understanding.
Understanding becomes self-efficacy.

We're especially glad that Deputy Governor Christine Haberlander supports our project and our mission to put women's health more firmly in the spotlight.

Because the health of women in midlife deserves more attention, more knowledge about the female body — and above all, more nuanced answers.