This month we are featuring our Sweden - North Sweden Life Science Ecosystem who is driving innovation in women’s health.
What are the key priorities and strengths of your ecosystem?
Who are the top 3-5 drivers of innovation and collaboration in your ecosystem?
Can you highlight key services, solutions, or initiatives in women’s health from your ecosystem?
North Sweden hosts a large group of distinguished researchers focused on women’s health, spanning gender studies, cancer, pregnancy and the post-partum period, healthy living, cardiovascular disease and mental health.
Recently, North Sweden’s first menopause clinic opened at Överkalix Health Centre, initiated by midwife Maria Karlström. The clinic seeks to offer more coordinated and holistic care for women experiencing menopause, as many have previously been bounced between different healthcare providers. Given how common and varied menopause symptoms are, the healthcare system needs both deeper knowledge and more structured approaches. Improved support also carries socioeconomic benefits, as sick leave linked to mental health issues is increasing within this age group. The long-term goal is to provide equitable, evidence-based care and reduce the risk that women turn instead to unreliable commercial actors. In 2026, digital menopause clinics will be launched to ensure equal access for those living in Northern Sweden’s more rural areas.
The Northpop cohort study, which began in 2016 and reached 10,000 participants by 2025, has focused on collecting extensive data on children’s health, lifestyle, and development. The newly launched Northmom initiative will now follow up on the health of the mothers who took part in Northpop, in order to explore connections between environmental factors during pregnancy and the development of breast cancer. The Northpop cohort study is open for European partnerships.
In 2025, North Sweden achieved a 70% vaccination coverage for HPV, putting the region on a path toward eliminating cervical cancer. Meanwhile, home testing for cervical cancer has helped doctors reach women who avoid visiting healthcare centres due to distance, time constraints, or discomfort.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation has also evolved, encompassing therapeutic interventions aimed at restoring strength, coordination, and function to the pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder, bowel, and uterus and are essential for continence, sexual function, and core stability. One example is the research and training app Tät – check it out here.
Additionally, significant work is also being carried out to address gender-based violence at both regional and local levels. An example is the establishment of our internal competence centre for employees who encounter patients exposed to violence. The centre will provide training, guidance, and support for operational development in areas such as intimate partner violence, sexual violence, honour-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking.
Are there any EU or international funding projects your ecosystem is involved in (or would like to join) related to women’s health?
One current initiative we would like to highlight is “Equitable Health in Sparsely Populated Regions (SPRs) – Women’s & Indigenous Perspectives.” This project forms a partnership between North Sweden and two highly rural regions in the Colombian Amazon (Vaupés and Amazonas). It operates within a gender equality network funded by ICLD and focuses on sexual and reproductive health as well as gender-based violence in rural and Indigenous contexts. Read more here.
What types of partnerships are you seeking to strengthen your work in women’s health?
We would like to further work in the following two fields:
