Have you ever seen a friend who recently had major surgery and marveled at how quickly she recovered? Advances in medicine depend on clinical trials, and clinical trials depend on volunteers.

The majority of Americans have never volunteered for a medical study, and many of us may still have misconceptions about trials. To get the facts out the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), an organization dedicated to including more women in major medical research studies and encouraging greater research into how diseases and treatments affect women and men differently, launched an educational campaign, Some Things Only a Woman Can Do.

You may have to take the initiative and inform your own physician of your willingness to participate in a clinical trial. According to results of a 2008 survey of 2,028 U. S. adults released by the SWHR, 94% said their doctors have never talked to them about participating in any kind of medical research.

The mission of the non-profit SWHR is to bring to “national attention the need for the appropriate inclusion of women in major medical research studies and the need for more information about conditions affecting women exclusively, disproportionately, or differently than men.” Until the early 1990s, the women were typically excluded from most major medical research studies. It was believed our hormone cycles, or the risk of pregnancy would corrupt study results. SWHR worked to help change federal regulations and guidelines and get more women included in studies. Now it’s our turn.

Currently only about 9% of women have ever participated in a clinical trial and researchers are struggling to recruit more. The womancando.org web site offers information on the key differences between women and men that affect the efficacy of prescription drugs, their side effects, and impact the course of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, AIDS, lupus and osteoporosis. SWHR’s campaign is also trying to encourage more minority women to volunteer for clinical trials. The web site details various health conditions of particular concern to African Americans, Latina, Asians, and Native American women.

How can you participate? In a variety of ways — there are even studies which only need online volunteers. First educate yourself and bring the topic up with your health care provider. Visit womancando.org, and go to clinicaltrials.gov for a database of over 27,000 studies being conducted by government agencies, universities and private firms.