The Autoimmune Crisis Is Changing The Trajectory Of Women's Lives
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Women's Health
The Autoimmune Crisis Is Changing The Trajectory Of Women's Lives
Author: Alexandra Engler
May 06, 2026
Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Director
By Alexandra Engler
Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Director
Alexandra Engler is the senior beauty and lifestyle director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com
Image by Alex Tan / Death to the Stock Photo
May 06, 2026
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. There are more than 80 known conditions in this category, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Across the board, women are more likely to develop these conditions. Estimates consistently show that roughly 80% of autoimmune patients are women, a statistic that has held steady across decades of research.
But that number, while striking, doesn’t fully capture the reality. This isn’t just about prevalence. It’s about how these conditions change the trajectory of their lives. Often lifelong chronic diseases, diagnosis usually happens during their most active years—between early adulthood and midlife—when careers, caregiving, and social lives are taking shape. Not to mention, it’s a time when identity, independence, and long-term life plans are being solidified.
And that is the true crisis of the autoimmune epidemic.
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Women are unfairly burdened by autoimmune disease—and it’s affecting everything else
What’s for certain is that women are disproportionately affected by autoimmune disease. We’re also getting closer to understanding why—more on that below—but what we’ve not yet fully captured is how autoimmune diseases ripple through every part of a woman’s life, often without the recognition or support that major, life-altering diseases require.
A 2026 national survey found that of working women with autoimmune diseases, 70% said that their career potential had suffered as a result of their condition. Conducted by Autoimmune Association and WellTheory, the survey aimed to get a deeper understanding of how autoimmune disease may impact a woman's professional growth and financial stability.
A staggering 68% of women reported significant negative career impacts, including major limitations to career potential: 28% report having to switch to less demanding roles, 14% having to change careers, and 13% having to turn down a promotion. Some women are simply leaving the workforce, either by reducing hours (39%) or exiting altogether (11%).
Anyone who has an autoimmune disorder likely understands why, and the survey pointed to three primary causes: pain (61%), fatigue (54%), and brain fog (26%).
Unfortunately, women are dealing with this on their own, often without corporate support: 61% of women say they have not disclosed their diagnosis to their employer, noting they didn’t think it’d help (41%), fear they’d be judged (31%), or that they’d be passed up for opportunities (28%).
Career impact is a financial burden in and of itself. All of the above statistics—the stunted trajectory, the forced pivots—translate to limited earning potential, lost wages, and reduced income. (This, on top of the fact that women earn only 85% of what men do, according to the most recent data.) But the financial strain doesn’t stop there.
Autoimmune diseases are costly. “Autoimmune diseases also carry substantial costs, estimated at more than $100 billion per year for health care in the U.S. Accounting for indirect costs, such as lost productivity and the broader impact on dependents, families, and society, the costs to the American people are likely much higher,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said in a recent statement.
One hundred billion per year is the sort of number that’s impossible to even wrap your head around. So much so that it’s hard to imagine what that means for the individual or the day-to-day financial reality. Well, those figures are no less daunting: excess medical and pharmacy treatment costs for those with autoimmune conditions range from $2,200 to $33,500 per year.
Of course, we can’t talk about the full-life impact of autoimmune disease without addressing the most personal: family and social life.
Almost impossible to truly capture through data, some research has attempted to shed light in at least a few areas: Studies show higher rates of caregiving strain, relationship stress, and reduced participation in social activities among those with chronic autoimmune conditions—driven largely by fatigue, pain, and the unpredictability of flare cycles.