Historically, women have often not been the primary focus of medical and pharmaceutical research efforts. Studies in some fields have been conducted without adequately considering sex and gender representation among participants. As outlined in this editorial, many studies rely on a single sex or gender without an appropriate justification.

On this basis, the editors at Nature Communications, Communications Medicine, npj Women’s Health, and Scientific Reports are now inviting submissions of research studies focusing specifically on women’s health. We particularly encourage submissions of clinical studies in the areas of cardiovascular health, reproduction, mental health, and public health. Nature Communications, npj Women’s Health, and Scientific Reports will also consider pre-clinical and physiology studies where the relevance to women’s health is clearly established.