On the one hand gender studies are based on the differentiation of biological (sex) and social (gender) identities. Above all, gender studies in public health research are seen as an biological, psychological and social entity. To understand the complexity linked to the term "gender" in medicine, different perspectives are required. Apart from the uncertainty, which may occur by the changing perspective on gender, it also holds the option for innovation in anesthesiology, too. The goal of gender based medicine is an optimized, individual adjusted medical care. Precondition to realize this aim is the understanding of the genesis, the consolidation, and the elimination of gender biases in all fields of research, publications and education. The transfer of methods and guidelines for gender sensitive research, adapted from the public health research, allows an access to detect the meaning of gender specifics and gender differences, to verify its clinical relevance and to exercise the results in clinical daily work. With gender sensitive methods desiderata should be reduced, and methodological standards for gender sensitive medical/clinical research can be developed and implemented into medical education. In the light of knowledge about sex specific differences in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic as well as undesired drug interactions, basic research may help to overcome the gender gap and to individualize and optimize the anesthesiological approach as well. A main problem in implementing gender studies into medicine is the limitation of sex sensitive biomedical significance. Nevertheless, the already existing measures in public health should be evaluated and modified for clinical practice. The current review is to be read as an introduction into different aspects of gender studies in medicine, in order to extend the understanding of its importance for anesthesiology, too. It shows that the relevance transcends still existing studies based on biomedical gender diversities.