A major federal women’s health study that followed more than 160,000 women for decades is being shut down. What’s behind the decision—and what happens to the valuable data and participants left in limbo?
After more than 30 years of groundbreaking research, a historic federal study focused on women’s health is coming to an abrupt end.
The Trump administration has decided to terminate contracts supporting the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a long-running project that has tracked the health and habits of more than 160,000 women across the U.S. The program, launched in the early 1990s, has contributed to major advances in how chronic conditions in women are understood and treated.
The federal Department of Health and Human Services recently informed the study’s four regional research centers—in California, New York, Ohio, and North Carolina—that their contracts will end in September. That means no new data will be collected from the 40,000 women still actively participating in the study, and several decades of progress could grind to a halt.
A Study That Changed the Standard of Care
The Women’s Health Initiative was created to close a major gap in medical research. For years, most clinical trials were conducted on men, leaving women underrepresented and their unique health risks poorly understood.
This study changed that by collecting in-depth data from women across the country. Participants contributed detailed information on their diets, physical activity, medications, and health conditions. Many also provided biological samples, such as blood and urine, creating a massive and rare data repository.
Over the years, the WHI helped overturn long-standing beliefs about menopause and hormone therapy. It also provided clarity around the effects of common supplements like vitamin D and calcium on bone health and cancer risk. These findings influenced national guidelines and changed how millions of women are treated.
Sudden Shutdown Amid Broader Cuts
The termination of the WHI is part of a larger push to reduce federal spending on health-related contracts. The administration has called for agencies to cut these expenses by more than one-third, resulting in widespread layoffs, canceled grants, and the closure of research projects.
Although the WHI has already made significant contributions to women’s health, its continued monitoring of aging participants was expected to yield new insights into conditions like heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease—especially as participants move into later stages of life.
The loss of ongoing data collection limits researchers’ ability to track how these conditions develop over time, especially in populations of women who have already provided decades’ worth of data.
Impact on Participants and Future Research
The women enrolled in the study have been active contributors, responding to surveys, attending follow-up visits, and providing biological samples on a regular basis. Many have done so for years or even decades, motivated by a desire to help future generations of women receive better care.
The end of the study also raises questions about what will happen to the immense volume of data and samples already collected. Stored blood, urine, and genetic material represent a unique scientific resource that could be analyzed for years to come—but its future is uncertain.
The coordinating center of the study, based at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, has been told that funding will continue through January. After that, the next steps remain unclear.
A Setback for Women’s Health Research
The shutdown of the WHI is more than just the closure of a single study. It marks the end of one of the few large-scale efforts dedicated specifically to understanding women’s health in detail over a long period of time.
Without continued funding, new opportunities to discover links between lifestyle, aging, and disease may be lost. It also sends a message that long-term investment in gender-specific health research is not a priority—even as women make up more than half the U.S. population and face unique medical challenges that remain underexplored.
What’s at Stake
When the WHI launched, it filled a critical void in the scientific community. For decades, it helped move women from the sidelines to the center of health research. Its closure leaves behind an unfinished chapter in a story that has already improved care for millions—but still had much more to tell.
What’s being lost isn’t just a study. It’s an opportunity to keep learning from the women who helped reshape medicine—and to ensure their contributions continue to guide future breakthroughs in health and care.
