As part of our BNS Women’s Month Campaign, spotlighting Women’s Health and Healthcare and the urgent need for action, we’re amplifying the voices of those leading change. One such trailblazer is Dr. Muteeat Salami — a dedicated women’s health advocate who believes in the transformative power of conversation. In this conversation, Dr. Muteeat Salami, known as the women’s health ally, discusses how a single conversation can shift a woman’s entire approach to her well-being

Your work focuses on transforming women’s health through conversations. Can you share a moment when a single conversation significantly changed a woman’s approach to her health?

My name is Dr. Muteeat Salami, the women’s health ally, and I’ve seen firsthand how a single conversation can transform a woman’s approach to her health. One of such moments  was when a young woman reached out on social media about heavy menstrual bleeding and debilitating pain—symptoms she had long dismissed as “normal” because that’s what she had been told growing up. Through our discussion, I helped her recognize the possibility of conditions like fibroids or endometriosis and encouraged her to seek medical attention.

Weeks later, she messaged me with a confirmed fibroid diagnosis and relief that she was finally receiving care. Stories like hers are why I’m committed to driving conversations on critical yet overlooked issues like infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, and postpartum depression (amongst others). Too many women’s health concerns are under-researched, underfunded, and dismissed—often leaving women unheard due to societal norms.

This is why I champion these conversations—educating women, dispelling myths, and urging key stakeholders to take action in transforming women’s health.

What are the most pressing gaps you see in Women’s Healthcare and how can individuals, communities, and policymakers help bridge them?

One of the biggest barriers to quality healthcare for women is misinformation—many don’t realize they have a medical issue because their symptoms are often normalized or dismissed. Even those who recognize a problem struggle to access accurate, timely information.

Financial constraints further delay care, with many women forced to prioritize other needs over essential health services like preventive screenings, proper nutrition, contraceptives, antenatal care, fertility treatments, and postpartum mental health support.

Critically, women-specific conditions remain underfunded, key aspects of female physiology—such as hormonal imbalances—are under-researched, and access to specialists is limited. As a result, women’s pain and symptoms are frequently dismissed, leading to delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatment.

To bridge these gaps, individuals must prioritize health education, challenge harmful myths, and advocate for themselves in medical settings. Communities should foster safe spaces for open conversations, which is exactly why I’m proud of the work we do at FERTITUDE—providing on-demand reproductive health support and connecting women with vital resources. Policymakers must also invest in subsidized healthcare, strengthen reproductive health programs, enact women’s health-friendly policies like paid maternity leave to improve postpartum recovery and push for research into women-specific conditions.

Addressing these challenges requires collective action, and I’m committed to ensuring that women are informed, heard, and empowered to take control of their health

If you could implement one systemic change to improve women’s healthcare in Nigeria (or globally), what would it be and why?

If I could implement one systemic change to improve women’s healthcare in Nigeria—and globally—it would be prioritizing funding and research for women-specific health conditions.

Too many conditions that disproportionately affect women—like endometriosis, PCOS, menstrual health disorders, perimenopause and postpartum depression—remain underfunded, under-researched, and poorly understood. This leads to delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatments, and unnecessary suffering.

Another key example is maternal mortality, which remains unacceptably high due to limited access to quality prenatal care, skilled birth attendants, and emergency obstetric services. Many of these deaths are preventable with the right investments in healthcare infrastructure and policies.

Finally, I believe that increased funding for women’s health research, specialized provider training, and subsidized care would not only improve reproductive health outcomes but also save lives. When women’s health becomes a global priority, we bridge the gender gap in healthcare and empower women to lead healthier, fuller lives.