A new research centre has opened in Wales to help tackle the gender health gap.

Marking the first anniversary of the Women's Health Plan for Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy met staff, researchers and communities at the centre.

The £3 million research centre, led by Women's Health Research Wales, is designed to strengthen investment in women's health research, including representation in clinical trials.

Researchers will work on prevention, early-onset conditions, rare diseases and care for under-served communities.

There are already projects underway looking at symptom reporting tools to help manage conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Researchers are also looking at how chemicals in menstrual products might affect health; the best way of making sure young people stay active during periods, and the best pathways to make sure people with polycystic ovary syndrome don’t develop health conditions like diabetes and heart disease later in life. 

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: "I am passionate about improving women’s healthcare. To do that, we must invest in research to gather the evidence we need.

"I am delighted to see how the Welsh Government’s £3 million investment, through Health and Care Research Wales, is supporting research based on the experiences of women. This will result in better care and better health outcomes for women.

"This innovative new research centre is a key part of the Women’s Health Plan and will help us better understand women's experiences. It will lead to more effective treatments and make sure that our health service delivers improved outcomes for women in Wales."

Sarah Murphy, minister for mental health and wellbeing said: "I'm thrilled the investment we’ve made in this research centre is resulting in projects in such important and under-researched areas of women’s health.

"The pioneering work I've heard about today in areas such as the impact of infertility on women's mental health is exactly what we want the Women’s Health Plan to influence and deliver.

"All this has been achieved in the first 12 months, I look forward to seeing what we can do in the next year."