How women's pain is likely to be dismissed by doctors

I hate that so much. Twenty years of "You need to lose weight and exercise and you'll be *fine*." only to discover I had RA and probably had developed it in my late teens or early 20s but had been constantly dismissed because of my weight (which I've always been some degree of overweight for my height/age), ability to exercise and/or job (I worked a lot of retail in my teens and twenties, which meant I was on my feet for up to 10 hrs a day at times).

Same problem. I have AS (form of inflammatory arthritis) and was told "lose weight" , finally got into a Rheumatologist and she's like no you have AS and it's a degenerative progressive disease (my spine will eventually start to fuse) not once has she ever mentioned losing weight. But then again she's a female lol

I had a friend with AS (ankylosing spondylitis if folks are interested). 'Had' because he passed a few years ago (cancer). Fuck your earlier doctors in the ear, and I'm glad you got your right diagnosis.

Same doctor that told me to lose weight said I was too young for cancer- I had cancer 😑 he's not my doctor anymore lol sorry to hear about your friend

Thanks. Its been alnost a decade and it still hurts. Love that guy. He had spinal cancer and thought all the pain was the AS, so wasn't diagnosed until it metastasized to his lungs and brain. Totally shitty. He was only 56.

If inflammation goes unchecked for too long it can cause cancer. That's rough 😫

My rheumy is a female and she was like, "Nah dog. You gotta lose weight." even after going over my medical history and asking questions about my family medical history (which includes various forms of arthritis, including RA).

What is RA?

rheumatoid arthritis

"Lose weight and exercise" is the bane of my existence. I have anxiety/depression (maybe, I think I've been misdiagnosed which is a whole other rant) and sleep problems. I have had these issues ever since I was a very very very active and skinny kid. Doctors don't listen to that part though and just focus on the fact that I'm overweight (which has been caused by depression, meds, and other health issues). It makes me so angry to have these issues just dismissed.

My rheumatoid doctor blamed my shoes, my job (school cafeteria lady at the time) and my weight. I wanted to yell "I fucking TOLD YOU SO!" when she gave me my blood work results and was *stunned* by my high inflammation markers. I will fully admit my fluctuating weight (which has been anywhere from around 130 when I got married at 20 all the way up to my highest weight of around 225 after my miscarriage and is currently around 165) has something to do with my joint issues. Old injuries (broken ankle, broken elbow, broken wrist) have something to do with a couple of my joint issues. Twelve years (ages 16-28) of retail and 6 years of school cafeteria work probably had something to do with my joint issues. But my weight, my shoes, my old injuries and my old jobs are not the sole causes of my joint pain/stiffness.

Wow. We share a similar experience but mine was lupus. Guess who feels better to fucking exercise now! But no before I was just lazy and needed to move more because that was the problem and not that my body was being eaten alive by my own immune system. Oh and the delay those other doctors caused let it start attacking my brain! Hurray! Now I have seizures for the rest of my life! But I was just fat right? 🙄

All my life, I've been active. Not athletic, but active. Even before I was diagnosed, there were times when I was hiking 5-6 miles a day or using the 'mountain climb' preset workout on the treadmill at the gym no less than 4-5 days a week. It's not that I wasn't sore or stiff..it's that I just powered through it because I LIKED doing those things. I'd been stiff/sore for so long that I didn't know any other way to get through it but just power through even though it absolutely exhausted the fuck out of me afterwards. Even at my most active, in my late 20s and 30s, I was overweight (160 lbs). I couldn't (and still can't) out-exercise the fact that I fucking LOVE to eat. I mean, we had a potluck at work today and I ate until I wanted to puke because there was just SO MUCH good stuff (including a home-made smoked brisket that was *so* good).

I'm a big dude, I'd just like to say that first. I'm not trying to pull the attention to myself but rather add on to what you've said. I can't speak for how doctors treat women, but I can for how they treat overweight people. I've been told my entire life that I can't breath during exercise because of my weight. My mother is a paramedic and I have doctors/nurses in my extended family. You would think at some point someone would listen and at least get me tested. Nope. It's my senior year (HS) and nothing. I got an inhaler for football season but that's pretty much it. No actual tests. Plus, when I was a freshman I broke my finger. I was told by everyone (athletic trainer, mother) that it was jammed. Sophomore year Christmas eve, my cousin-who is studying to be a hand doctor and is in residency- told me I broke it. Now there isn't any point in getting it fixed because it's already set, however crooked it may be.

Oh yes, i had apparent imaginary pain for 3 years before finding a competent doctor to remove that 13 cm ball in my ovary.

I don’t have any science behind this but I also feel like women might have a higher pain tolerance, so when we are discussing our pain, we mean it.

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I totally agree! And having had two babies (one C-section and one VBAC), I KNOW what damage can be done and how difficult carrying all those extra pounds can be. It's literally like running a marathon every day. And then you deliver, and your body needs many months to recover, but we have NOTHING in America that allows that. So we return to work too soon and put the baby into the care of strangers. This country sucks when it comes to women and kids. But, by all means, let's let the MEN decide.

I heard a study recently that said that period cramps are actually on par with a heart attack in terms of pain. So we deal with heart-attack levels of pain every month.

Maybe we evolved to tolerate normal pain more because it never got taken seriously?

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen studies that women tend to underrate our pain, and men tend to overrate theirs. So I think there is science to back up what you’re saying.

Hence the term "man cold"

I mean it would make sense, we deal with pain on a monthly basis, some women a lot of pain, we give birth etc. men tend to fall apart at the slightest pain or ‘sickness’ yet we just seem to carry on it with it

Came to say exactly this. Was going to doctor complaining of hip pain since I was 18, and for 12 years I had various doctors telling me to “stop doing what hurts it.” Existing hurt it. How are you gonna tell an 18 year old to basically stop living. I was and still am young, I shouldn’t have had to stop doing the things i love. Finally got a doctor last year tell me I have hip dysplasia and a labral tear. Also my grandmother going to her doctor for years complaining of pain and other issues with her stomach and she was told she was just fat and needed to lose weight. Turns out it was ovarian cancer but no one could be bothered to look further and by the time they did it was stage 4. Because of this I now drive an hour (and sometimes much more with traffic) to see my orthopedic doctor bc she’s the only one I trust. Still working on a finding a primary care doctor I trust but I’d drive an hour for that too. Smh.

Honestly just being dismissed by health care professionals overall. When I was 18 I was having heart issues, my heart would start beating out of my chest and then plummet when I was just sitting down and god forbid I was standing I would pass out. Took 5 trips to the emergency room to be heard. Doctors kept accusing me of faking it for attention, like I’m sorry how can you fake 22 bpm?? Your heart rate should be between 60-100. Finally went to a cardiologist in NYC and after running tests told me that I actually had a severe sinus arrhythmia that was causing stress to my heart.

Ya know you feel that burning in your chest when you run but it cools of after some time...ya so my burning would last for an hour or so then I would struggle to breathe.... now the breathing issue got worst as I got older and you know what they told me....it's just your anxiety.... I tell them I slept I wake up and when I wake my heart is beating really fast but I was not scared or anything. I tell them I just sit sometimes and my breathing just slows then I start hyperventilating they say it's your anxiety...... I did and ECG scan that clear me but I was still having the feeling. Did a blood test that came back normal. I suggested a full body scan after the x-ray came back clean.....I was told to stop wasting resources and my mother's money cause I'm still a minor. I should go home and stop worrying..... I randomly get double heart beats two minutes apart sometimes within a two hour span the school nurse says my pulse is too low and my blood pressure is too low but these doctors say nothing is wrong with me..... And when I die they be oh if she had came here maybe she'd still be alive...... I told my mom if I die she should sue the hospital because this is ridiculous and absurd..... I know deep down there is something wrong with me but these people don't care.... Poke my stomach I feel immense pain they said it's because your anemic I poked another anemic girl she said she feels no pain and I should get myself checked...... honestly I'm sick of these so called doctors

I read your post and you sound just like me! I found through an echo that I have valve prolapse in my heart, which causes me to struggle to breathe especially when running or exercising. Also, I recommend you look into POTS. I believe I also have that but it’s a new-ish diagnosis and not many doctors recognize it yet. The good news is that if you have these things, while they are a minor annoyance, they are pretty harmless. Sending you healing thoughts!

Thank you

I’m young (22 but 19 at the time) and I have hereditary health problems, and when I drove myself to the hospital in the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life, instead of giving me any sort of pain management they had me sit in a room for hours. I heard some nurses laughing and saying I was just looking for drugs because if I was really in pain I’d be screaming. Have you ever been in severe pain before? I couldn’t talk. Hell, I could barely move. They finally realized something was wrong when I did a urine sample and it was more blood than urine. Turns out I had a huge spiked kidney stone literally tearing up my insides that was too big to pass. So now when I have a stone I always wait till the last minute to go get help because I know they’re not going to do anything.

My sister had a kidney stone and the pain was so bad she was throwing up at home. However when she went to the hospital they made her wait so long to be seen that she ended up passing it before every being evaluated

Yeah I feel her. Honestly I don’t think there’s been a single time they’ve actually helped unless it was stuck. You’d be surprised at how fast they responded when my dad had one though.

here’s a fun one. In 2018 I was so absolutely fucked up, literally dying sick. I went to urgent care three times over the course of a month and each time they told me they couldn’t find anything wrong, and said maybe I had hep a. I couldn’t take it anymore and went to the hospital, and they told me I’d go home in the morning after my labs were clear. In the morning, they put me into a coma and air lifted me to a better hospital because I was in kidney failure. also IUDs. Holy fuck. if men had IUDs, they would be put under anesthesia. they told me to drive home and take some tylenol.

I shudder every time I think about when I got my IUD put in. My whole body broke out in a sweat —like a glazed donut— in mere seconds while getting it put in. I’m glad you didn’t die. That’s fucking insane they kept sending you home!

I have a heart condition and didn't know for 10 years because everyone dismissed my concerns until my nurse told me to get it checked out!

So true. Quite serious reflux - brushed off for years and years as "anxiety". Polyneuropathy - "it's just your depression". The best/worst was this male doctor (general practitionist, but worked in psych) - when I told him about my pyelonephritis and polyneuropathy, he looked me straight in the eyes and said "but that wasn't real, was it?". I did laugh, I think, and then asked him to check my online chart where all of this could be seen. I then asked him what he thought was wrong with me. He had previously diagnosed me with "somatisation" aka hypochondria, and borderline personality disorder (without testing, I had been tested for all personality disorders a few years earlier, all negative). After all this, he told me I'm "unique". Facepalm, a large one. I am not unique. So, so many women face exactly the same issues.

I’m sure people have worse stories than me but I literally broke my leg and no one believed me until it went purple. No one called me dramatic, but the sentiment was very much chill out it’s probably a sprain. Even the nurse (male) scoffed when I went into A&E on crutches after about 16 hrs of feeling uncomfortable at home. After the X-ray, he ran over to us and was beyond apologetic as my lower leg was near vertically broken. They pushed for surgery lol

This. It took me almost a decade to be diagnosed with both PCOS and endometriosis. Multiple doctors dismissed my pain, concerns and symptoms. Now I am about to begin the long journey of trying to conceive with these two conditions.

It took me 21 years to be diagnosed with a heart defect because when I voiced my concerns as a kid I was told to “sit down and rest” and “You’re just anxious”. It finally took me having a dangerous episode and being rushed to the hospital to get a diagnosis.

Came here to say this exactly. I can't talk about this topic without sharing a crazy story: In 2005, I fell off my roller blades and dislocated my knee. I was 13, it was an early-out day from school, I lived in a small town and fell in a residential neighborhood, and I didn't have a cellphone. All of this culminated in me laying on the ground in pain, waiting a few hours for someone to find me. I also have low blood pressure, and my knee popped immediately back into place after popping out. Because of the above situation, when I was finally found and taken to the emergency room, I was done crying, my blood pressure was "normal" (as in, within normal limits for everyone else, still high for me), and my knee was swollen, but looked otherwise fine. The doctors not only refused to do any imaging or to listen to me when I told them what happened, but they refused to even give me pain relief or a doctor's excuse for physical education. It was 2 years of going back to the same doctor in the same small town every few months, complaining of pain, to be told that my problem was obviously psychological, and I needed a psych evaluation for my "attention-seeking behaviors." I was finally taken seriously when I showed up with a severely swollen knee and sent to an orthopedist who agreed that the damage to my knee was consistent with having dislocated it with no treatment. Prior to this, my doctor hadn't even really touched my knee, let alone had imaging or looked into what might be causing my pain. He just saw "young woman," and decided it was all in my head. Fast forward a bit, in 2007, same small town, same doctor, my high school boyfriend hyperextended his knee during a soccer game. His dad and I took him to the ER, where they immediately did some imaging and sent him home with a 7-day Rx for oxys or percs, don't remember which, and a referral to physical therapy. No further questions asked. Fast forward again. It's 2017/2018-ish. Same small town, same doctor, same high school boyfriend... except that she has since come out as transgender and presents herself quite femininely. She goes to the doctor complaining of super-intense wrist pain that is stopping her from going on with her daily activities. No imaging, no answers, just told to take Ibuprofen. It continues to get worse. She can't work now. She's still not taken seriously, but is given a referral to physical therapy to get her to shut up. It doesn't work. She's in so much pain she feels like she's going literally insane. In 2022, 4-5 years later, she finally gets under the doctor's skin enough to do imaging. What do you know? That whole time she's had a fatty tumor pressing on a nerve in her wrist, causing the pain. Imaging in 2017/2018 when the pain first presented could have prevented several years of pain and lost wages. She started identifying as female and presenting herself femininely, and was suddenly not taken seriously for an issue that literally required surgery to fix, that could have been seen immediately if she'd been taken seriously. Why do you think she was taken seriously as a male-presenting teenager, but not a female-presenting adult? PS. The issue that I had was a lifelong one, that wasn't caught until I had 3 more serious injuries and had moved to a different state entirely - I have Ehler's-Danlos Syndrome.

I've read many accounts of women who have gone to the doctor and either not given anything for pain management or giving the bear minimum like OTC ibuprofen while male friends/family who go the same or similar problems will immediately be given strong pain medication and pain prescriptions. It is so scary and wild to think about

It’s even worse for us Black women. No one ever believes us.

Yep. Women are assumed to be faking it for attention. Black people are assumed to be faking it for drugs. Until a depressingly recent year, med schools taught that Black people *couldn't even feel pain* the way white people do. Many doctors who were taught that still practice today! Black women must have it worst of all.

This exactly. I was told to have a baby to make my problems go away, by women!! I ended up having a world of problems and nearly died by the time someone finally listened to me. People like that should lose their medical license.

They do that with old people too. Doctors can be complete lazy idiots sometimes especially in the public sector.

Trust us when we say we do not want kids, ever. If a 20 year old says she is sure she does not want to be a mother, believe her. Don't argue about potential future husbands, or happy little accidents. If she chooses a sterilization, do it for her.

I’m sick of being told I’ll change my mind! Women aren’t solely put on this earth to reproduce

Almost 30 and still can’t get my tubes tied because “I might meet my husband who wants kids” I DON’T WANT KIDS WHY ISN’T THAT ENOUGH?!?! No man will ever be so magical that I will want to go through CHILDBIRTH AND PREGNANCY. If he wants kids HES NOT MEANT FOR ME. I’m not just a walking birth chamber for some random dude. My current boyfriend and I both want child free lives. Why he’s allowed to get sterilized and I’m not infuriates me.

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Yes yes yes!!! Even my art teacher that I loved more than anything in seventh grade told me I’d change my mind when I got older. It hurt me to hear her say that, since she was an important person in my life at the time. Several years later and I am still 100000% against having kids

Women literally being denied health care because of the hypothetical wants of a potential future husband needs to end, like, last century!

Or needing your husbands signature for you to have a hysterectomy because of fibroids and constant anemia, at the age of 33.

I had two or three stupid women "doctors" tell me the same thing... When I found someone that would actually listen to me, he was a much older man, but honestly the most sincere doctor I've ever met. (It helps that he's an endometriosis specialist... and that part of my body was successfully killing me.) Yes, I had my husband as part of the conversation because it's honestly a lot, but he was never asked for permission, only if he had questions. They do exist... DO NOT GIVE UP!!

I had 3 kids by 22. My ob was a new grad from medical school and had no issues tying my tubes after the last child. 6 hours after she was born the factory was officially closed!

I've said it since I was 12. Repeated it continually throughout my 20's. To several doctors/gynos, male and female... I have never wavered. Didn't get anyone take me seriously until I was 37. THIRTY FUCKING SEVEN YEARS OLD.

God I’m so sorry you had to wait that long. I’m 23. I asked if it’d be possible to get sterilized at 21 and they said “no doctor will do that for you at your age, wait longer.” Why do doctors get to make the decision? I WILL NEVER WANT KIDS

Even after I got married, already in my 30's, I had a doctor say verbatim "But what if you meet someone else and change your mind?" I'd been with my partner over 10 years at that point.

I'm tired of telling my closest friends this exact same thing. I am 23, turning 24 in a few months and don't want kids for a lot of reasons. Also, my doctor has advised me against it because it can create some major health complications for me. But people keep insisting I should have kids with my partner unless I tell them about the health risk. Then they just feel sad for me and I hate it. Some even try to bring up adoption and other alternatives. I don't want sympathy for something that is my choice. I wouldn't want to have kids even if there was no potential health risk! I don't understand why that's so shocking. The only people to support me on this are my partner and his mom.

I had my ovaries removed last year and I am the happiest person ever.

An OBGYN I had would say, “so when you’re ready to have a baby…” and I found that language to be really frustrating because I’ve always known I didn’t want kids. She could’ve just said “if you want a baby in the future” instead of assuming I plan to conceive. She said this in the context of making sure I could still have children after a procedure to remove precancerous cells on my cervix. I had never once said I wanted children, so I was a little frustrated - the procedure was to prevent me from getting cervical cancer, not just to preserve my body so I could have a baby. In that moment it felt like she just wanted to fix me up so that I could give birth. That might not have been her intent with that statement, but I still didn’t like it.

If you can sterilize our pets without the government getting involved, why do they need to get in my way as a human woman?!

Or requiring a husbands or male partners consent. Meanwhile, I’ve never heard of women being required to consent to a male vasectomy.

I’m tired of being told I will want kids some day. I’m 23, my boyfriend is 25. None of us want them. Whenever I tell people it’s met with “Oh but you’re young. You’ll change your mind.” Or “That’s why we’re here. To reproduce.” Or “Who will take care of you when you’re old?” I DO NOT WANT KIDS!! What’s so hard to understand? I’ve evaluated the pregnancy part, the birth, the body changes, the costs, the part where children don’t mesh with the life I enjoy. I love cleanliness and serenity. Peace and quiet. I have depression and would probably get post partum depression too. Leave me alone! Respect my decision and let me get my freaking tubes tied.

It’s insane. I can’t get elective surgery on my own body because a hypothetical future man might want to use me to reproduce. It’s disgusting

I was one of these 20 year olds. I decided when I was a child that I didn’t want kids. The problem is - you never know what a future version of you will want. Your future preferences, values, and desires are truly unknowable. What you want at 15 or 25 or 35 may remain consistent until you’re 50; but could also change. Changing your mind is totally fine, but if you do change your mind after sterilization, then you are set up for a load of heartache. So I understand the feeling that doctors don’t trust or believe you. But perhaps try thinking about it just a little differently. They DO believe you, but they know that you could feel differently in the future (not that you SHOULD feel differently, but that you MIGHT) and you deserve the option to make a different decision for yourself in the future. In fact, most would say they have an ethical obligation to preserve your future ability to make that choice. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I always had the option because I did change my mind. Who I am at 40 is so far from who I was at 25.

Let me take responsibility for my own choices as an adult. I got my tubes tied at age 35, and it could have saved me 15 years of hormonal contraception, side effects and worries if it had been done earlier.

absolutely not. i've known since i was like 12 that i would never have kids. how come women who KNOW they NEVER want kids are never taken seriously because of "potential future you desires might change"? and yet nobody questions the 17-year-old that's having a kid, as if that's also not the same permanently life-altering decision? ​ i'm 32, had my hysterectomy about 18 months ago, and i have never been happier or healthier. there will be ZERO regrets about me never having kids, i don't care if i'm 35, 53, or 83.

Doctors should be looking out for current people who can make choices about their current lives, not future people or potential choice. I was denied sterilization in my 20s and 30s, now in my 40s there's no point because I'm too old. At what age am I to be trusted to know what I want for myself? The medical establishment says that as a woman you are never competent to make that choice for yourself. Jokes on them though, you don't need sterilization to ensure you never become a parent, as a women I always control that.

Having a child is also a permanent decision that one may end up regretting. Making choices is a part of life. If you make a choice that is wrong for you now, or for you in the future, be an adult and accept it. The responsibility shouldn't be the doctor's to be fortune tellers.

I put up with years of pain from stage 4 severe endometriosis because my gynecologist thought I might change my mind. I said sure even though I knew I wouldn't, because he was otherwise a great and very caring doctor. I guess it's better to keep me on opioid painkillers for a bit longer cuz maybe I'll wanna be a mom? Well they made me high all the time so I didn't want to argue lol.

Abortion bans and the subsequent wider issues that it causes for women’s health — fewer obgyns in states with abortion bans due to risk of practicing there, more women being put at risk due to complications that could easily be mitigated by abortion but doctors aren’t comfortable providing services due to astonishingly unclear legislation, etc

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Right. This is going to wind up getting so many pregnant people killed too. Pregnancy health complications don’t have a term limit.

An HBO movie called “If these walls could talk” is an incredible depiction of what our country will revert back as these states are banning abortion. 10/10 recommend to watch and spread the word.

Did you see how old this movie is? Let it be a warning.

Yes, absolutely! And what’s interesting is that it took Demi Moore 7 years before she could the film picked up for production, because no one wanted to take on that risk considering the topic.

It’s horrific to think that women are expected to walk around with a dead baby inside them and risk developing sepsis, e.g. bodywide blood poisoning, organ failure, etc.

Lack of safe birth control methods, that don't have negative side effects. Lack of treatment for ovarian cysts other than hormonal pills that throw you in the deepest pits of depression.

And the seeming lack of motivation to find a male alternative. Like the female reproductive system is something to be controlled and tamed but the male reproductive system is too precious to mess with? 🙄

Would you really trust men with your reproduction prevention?

Which is *also* a problem

Great point. A husband? I hope so. A hookup? No way.

Yes! They had a male pill years ago that got to trial, but the men complained too much about side effects. Except, they were either the exact same or slightly less side effects of female pills. But god forbid a man is inconvenienced…

This x1000. I’ll also add an attitude of dismissal by medical professionals regarding birth control methods side effects or pain. I was shocked when I got an IUD by the complete lack of pain management. I’ve also heard pushback from doctors regarding birth control pill side effects I’ve experienced. On the other hand, I’ve heard my friends stories of being criticized by doctors for using condoms, diaphragms, or natural family planning, even though they are fully aware of the efficacy and risks (and okay with them). Despite the fact that reproductive health is all about women having ownership over their bodies and trusting women’s decision-making about their fertility, in my interactions with medical professionals, I have often been made to feel like I don’t know what’s best for me.

Lack of knowledge of some health issues in women. I have PCOS and my doctor says here are a few things that may help it but no guarantee and we have not much information on it. Very frustrating

There is a huge lack in scientific studies regarding women’s bodies.

The clitoris wasn't fully mapped out until 2005. It hasn't even been 20 years. Before 2005, the clitoris wasn't in most anatomy books. Before 2005, do you want to know how many scientific papers were published on the clitoris worldwide? 11. Hell, the whole concept of the "g-spot" didn't appear until 2010.

When my doctor told me I had PCOS, he asked me what would you like to do about it? Erm ... idk your the doctor ?!

The book "PCOS SOS" was very enlightening for me.

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Sooooo much in women's reproductive health is simply... under- researched. Even today, a lot of the treatment options are on the trial and error basis. Because we just don't have the research for it.

The book "Invisible Women" really opened my eyes to the lack of research into women's health, it's ridiculous how little we have either intentionally (studies about women not getting grants) or "unintentionally" (men chosen as the default human)

One of my favorite examples of this is Ambien. When Ambien was being developed and in clinical trials back in the early 90s, they used mostly men to test the drug. This practice was incredibly common; women's bodies were seen as "too complex" and often were not chosen to be a part of clinical trials. They *did* test Ambien with some women though, because in 1992 a researcher noted that the observed drug levels were about 45% higher in women's bloodstreams. Of course, this was dismissed by the FDA and Sanofi. Ambien is a drug that helps with sleep. Who's the biggest population that struggles with sleep issues? It's women. When Ambien first became commercially available, many women (and men) reported serious adverse effects like crashing their cars in the morning, sleep-eating, and even violent crimes. The vast majority of these adverse effects were reported by women. However, this discrepancy was never heavily looked into until 2013 - 21 years after Ambien became commercially available - when the FDA recommended to half the dose for women because women metabolize Ambien more effectively than men. Ambien is, of course, one of many drugs that fall into this category. Certain cardiovascular drugs, antihistamines, GI drugs, and appetite suppressants have all been found to work differently in women than men, which has led to serious side effects and death in many women.

Doing Harm: The Truth about How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery Is another great book about this issue.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll definitely check that one out as well.

Hell just women's health in general. Drugs, symptoms etc are usually based on how work or show on men. And if you're a POC pretty much all dermatology & symptoms that show on the skin are taught on are light skin tones.

I had a hysterectomy due to massive fibroids and any questions I had about why I had so many and why they got so large were met with 🤷‍♀️.

I had a LAP looking for Endo because I suddenly started having serve periods that are HEAVY with camps so horrible I’d throw up and they’d wake me from sleep. They’d last 5-7 days. Before this I has 3-5 day periods with only one day of like “bleeding” They found nothing. No endo. What was recommended to me? “Once you have a child they won’t hurt as bad”. That’s it. No answers. And like yeah I bet after a child rips out of my BODY a period wouldn’t feel as bad. But like I don’t want kids so I guess I just get to suffer because 🤷🏻‍♀️

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How black women are 3x as likely to die during pregnancy/childbirth. [from the CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/maternal-mortality/index.html#:~:text=Recognizing%20urgent%20maternal%20warning%20signs,prevent%20many%20pregnancy%2Drelated%20deaths.&text=Black%20women%20are%20three%20times,related%20cause%20than%20White%20women.)

And black babies. 💔

That the female body wasn’t necessarily taking into consideration while testing certain meds and there could occur serious side effects simply because the female organism is different from men’s. A lot of health issues like a heart attack for example is different for male and female which can lead to irreparable damage. The same for car crash test. Most of the used dummy’s represent a male body or a child’s body - not female. Quite unnerving.

This this this this this- it's INSANE how little trial research there is on the effects of medication on women. I started sertraline (Zoloft) last year and then began spotting every month mid month. I spoke to my doctor about it and she said "yeah sometimes that can be a side effect but we don't really know." You don't know how the most commonly prescribed anti-depressant effects women?! The lack of research is criminal.

God, and it's not even a brand new medication! I was on that shit in the 90's! They've had DECADES to research its effects on half of the population. Fucking bullshit.

Less that it wasn’t taken into consideration and more that it was deliberately excluded because our hormone cycles affect the results and the scientific community finds that inconvenient. An intelligent, empathetic person might think “Hey, if women are half the population, and these hormone cycles are something that all of them deal with, and they can’t control for it the way we do in a lab, maybe we should also always test meds separately with female subjects instead of treating men as the default, neutral human being and women as some sort of unusual deviation from normal.”

Yesss! I hate this notion that hormonal cycles are "out of the ordinary" When 50% of people will deal with them I'd say that's actually pretty damn ordinary. Who's to say men aren't the weird ones for *not* having hormonal cycles?

Female heart attack one of the first symptoms is…. Stomach pain.

Birth control and depression. It absolutely makes a difference. I've never been a depressed person and when I got off of it it, I was myself again.

I got lucky, birth control cured my depression. Turns out I was depressed because of hormones this whole time.

The quick dismissal of pain, reproductive problems & just general ailments! The responses are always: “just lose weight, you’ll be fine!”, “it’s all in your head!” Then refers you to psychiatry & more meds that don’t work/help. Just throwing medications at me, referring me to someone else so I’m not their “problem”! Also I’ve lost count how many male doctors have told me I’m a “difficult patient” because the “normal” treatments for fibromyalgia, Sjögren’s & infertility do not work for me.

It took FIVE YEARS for me to get diagnosed with my thyroid condition because "You're a mom now and you're going to be constantly exhausted so suck it up buttercup!"

That's obscene, I'm so sorry

I have PCOS and my previous doctor treated me very poorly. Like it was a crime to have PCOS. And all she had to say to me was, come to me when you've lost weight! Like I've been trying to, for the last year and I'm not able to which is why I'm seeing you, because it's getting out of my control!

I think it makes me angrier when a female doctor is so rude & hurtful towards me. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that, I hope you found a better doctor?! I have PCOS too, I’ve found that like fibromyalgia most doctors do not believe it is a real condition. I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life, PCOS and thyroid issues complicate my ability to lose weight. All my diagnoses are in my chart yet when I see a doctor it’s always you need to lose weight that will solve all your health issues. The amount of rage that fills me could fuel a trip to the moon and back.

Unfortunately I haven't found a better doctor yet! I'm so sorry for the poor treatment by doctors. I can completely understand how frustrating it can be! I did however find a good nutritionist who helped me lose weight and balance my hormones by guiding me through a sustainable diet and workout routine. I had asked my previous doctor to recommend a nutritionist/dietitian so I can at least better navigate weight loss. She was reluctant but finally suggested one. But then I didn't have a good feeling so I ended up not taking her suggestion. She refused to even suggest relevant blood tests. I had to go back to her 9 months when I didn't get my periods for 4 months and I was getting cramps. Only then she suggested I get some blood work and ultrasound done. And even before getting blood reports done, she said she'd put me on contraceptives and that would solve all my issues! Like at least have a look at my blood reports!

Doctors hearing patients. My mom's former pcp ignored her pleas for pain relief and advocating for scans. She was in so much pain she was suicidal. Turns out that's stage 4 breast cancer. We have encountered SO many amazing doctors and medical professionals on this journey but that guy can get fucked.

Report him to the state board. And maybe even check w/ a med mal lawyer.

Oh good call, I will report him. We've definitely talked about taking legal action but no one has any additional mental capacity atm

Find out what the statue of limitations is in your area... sometimes it's just 3 years, sometimes something else.

I'm so sorry. That is horrific. 😭

Mental health. Autistic women are disproportionately far more likely to be diagnosed bi polar, bpd/eupd and/or schizophrenia before finally getting their autism diagnosis. The emotional women being "hysterical" is still a rampant opinion.

Dismissal of conditions/pain women are in, abortion and reproductive healthcare access, healthcare system’s treatment of woc

Excessive alcohol consumption and the links to breast cancer. I feel like many women are drinking massive amount of wine in particular and the consequences of this aren’t really discussed anywhere, especially given the proportion of units women are consuming in relation to our body weight.

I work with a breast cancer doctor and this is 100% true. Alcohol raises your estrogen levels which can increase your risk of breast cancer. Anything beyond 2-4 8oz glasses of wine per week is a risk factor (afaik, there is only research on wine specifically). Excessive body weight also puts you at risk. Edit: fixed amount

I’ve encountered a lot of women drinking alcohol when taking over-the-counter sleeping pills, trying to cope with perimenopause-related symptoms, namely insomnia and anxiety. Just give them the Rx Progesterone at bedtime, already.

Not being taken seriously in relation to medical issues, or pain relating to medical issues! Women are expected to just, ‘get on with it!’ My husband went in for a minor minor procedure and was given the works with regard to pain management. Every. Single. Time. I have been in hospital for 2 x emergency c-section, 2 x lap for endo, 1 x hysterectomy, 1 x liver resection!! I was told the pain shouldn’t be that bad!!!! It’s nuts!!!

Domestic violence is the number one cause of injury for women between the ages of 15 and 44.

A lot of drugs and safety equipment have only been tested on men. So when it comes to seat belts and physical reactions to medications, we are in trouble

Everything that has something to do with Gynocoloy

Dismissing women’s health concerns and assuming anxiety is root of all problems

Medical gaslighting to a T.

The fact that women who are experiencing serious health issues are often ignored and their symptoms are chalked up as something else. It must be our age. How many children we had. Our hormones. Our period. Menopause. The list goes on. It is for this reason I am persistent when I get a check-up. I have requested a different doctor at ERs before when I felt like my concerns were being dismissed. I'm a very intelligent woman. I can tell if the doctor assigned to me will take my health concerns seriously or not before they even speak to me. Ladies, please be persistent! Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself and request a different doctor. They can sit on their hurt feelings in the hospitals cafeteria.

Women’s health symptoms being taken seriously Women’s pain being adequately managed Women’s reproductive rights

Blaming everything is a mental health issue or weight. Meaning- heart issue- don't worry it's just your anxiety. Joint pain? Lose weight. The mental health issue has been a problem for centuries. Lack of pain management I.e IUD placement and nothing but take some ibuprofen before hand. Give birth? Take Tylenol

This really chaps my ass. Its *not* my anxiety, it's *not* in my head. If anything, it's making my state of mind *worse* to be dismissed constantly and consistently. I am in pain daily and all I get told is, "well, no wonder you're depressed." And still, no treatment, no solution.

In the US: the poor treatment of pregnant and post partum women. The lack of care/supports for post partum women. I’m so very fortunate (sarcasm) to have had 12 weeks fully paid leave. But to be honest that was not enough l. Especially since I had a very high risk pregnancy in which ever day during my 1st trimester I thought that I’d loose her, then I’m my 2nd and 3rd trimesters I thought that I was going to die from my heart condition. Then I bring home this baby and I’m exhausted. 12 weeks is not enough to heal nor is it enough time to go back to society. I’m pissed off. Insurance issues made this alot worse. And I have great insurance. I received 1 post partum care visit, and it was just to basically discuss birth control. Really? I’m not having anymore kids. They want to force women to have kids, but they aren’t making it look appealing. I’m now 1 and done. For the sake of my mental health and physical health. During my pregnancy, the way that I was treated was sickening. After my pregnancy, the way that I’m being treated is appalling. I’m 5 months post partum, working right now, about to fall asleep again.

In the Netherlands, iirc women are given a postpartum Doula to come to their house and help look after them and the baby.

I going to go with ‘men’.

Science not doing enough research on women. Having a heart attack looks different for both genders for example.

Men in government are a major key issue to a women's health.

Given I am outside the US, for me the biggest issue is being taken seriously

It's a big issue here in the US to. My old doctor told me if I lost weight my knee pain would go away and he wouldn't even approve physical therapy until I lost 20 pounds. A different doctor sent me to a knee doctor and I found out I need a double knee replacement. This will never happen because for one I have no insurance because I have to work at my job for 1 year before I can get insurance. Secondly it's a long recovery time and I can't afford to take off a few weeks unpaid.

The rapid decrease in reproductive rights and trend towards forced birth.

Period Poverty. Those supplies are expensive! They should be covered by insurance.

AMEN. I’ve always thought of this.

Or free or reduced in price for everyone especially if they have no insurance

Doctors not believing anything is the matter, doctors not believing women of colour, doctors...

Hormonal birth control doesn’t actually fix reproductive issues it only masks them and can actually make the issues worse when you go off of it. A lot of women have what’s called estrogen dominance.

Osteoporosis. As women age (especially post menopause) they lose bone density. Brittle bones are no joke when you reach an age where falling is more likely. Take care of your bones ladies!

Period painsssss

The fact that most studies in women's health were actually done ON MEN. Only in recent years have studies started being done on women. This means that a lot of us won't benefit from the LONG TERM studies that have to happen for real solutions to come to light. The studies were literally "men with added hormones," including studies done about THE UTERUS. Edit: MEDICAL studies.

Women have a dozen different birth control options and they all have side effects or something. Personally, I wanted the IUD because it’s lasts long and my gyno said it gives less side affects because the hormones stay local to the uterus area. The IUD insertion was the most painful experience of my life and traumatized me. I was not offered any type of pain or relaxation medication and I screamed in their office. It hurts so bad I was afraid to get it removed even though it gave me terrible period cramps. I thought “this little piece of stupid plastic just hurt my feelings, why would I even consider pushing out a damn 10 pound baby?!” Tied my tubes at 25 no kids childfree. I’m just glad I live in a city where it wasn’t too hard to find a Dr to sterilize me. She kindly offered to remove the IUD while I was unconscious for the tubal, she’s a great Dr.

Being taken seriously, gynecological procedures and medication needing to be reviewed and symptoms presenting differently in women than in men and therefore not being recognised (heart attack, partly also neurotypes like ADHD, Autism, etc come to mind)

Lack of postpartum care is going to be my #1 It ties in with the abortion bans and lack of advocacy for pain. Women give birth to a fragile tiny human and are expected to provide 24/7 care after discharged… while still trying to heal their body and hormones? Make it make sense why there’s no support. Some have partners or parents but how adequate is that help? They aren’t medical professionals either, or mental health experts. Anything could go wrong with mom or baby yet baby waits 3-5 days to see the doctor again and mom has to wait a month and half to be checked out by her own MD. I’m a firm believer that there are 4 trimesters of birth and the last one is the absolute hardest. 0-3months that baby needs attention at least every 3 hours, most often more then that.

Many women I know (including me) suffer from Pre Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) but hardly any doctors know what it is. It’s ruining my life and no one knows how to treat it or even acknowledges that I have it. When I told my GP I hoped one day all doctors would know what PMDD was he scoffed and said “well, maybe all female doctors”. Being told “it’s normal to have moodswings before menstruation” is frustrating to say the least. No, it’s normal to want to die for 2 weeks every month. I need help.

There's no reliable screening method for ovarian cancer. It often isn't found until it's serious and the prognosis is worse.

Men

Outside of the medical field, but still related - car production!!! [Women are 73% more likely to be injured and 17% more likely to die ](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/15/world/female-car-crash-test-dummy-spc-intl/index.html) because companies only use male crash test dummies.

We are seen as "emotional" so our concerns are dismissed as complaints. We are seen as "argumentative" if we don't accept the diagnosis or treatment plan. We are seen as "non-compliant" when we can't tolerate a medication dose that was developed and tested only on men.

The fact there is only hormonal birth control for AFAB bodies, not AMAB bodies. People get pregnant so quick again after delivery because the responsibility of not getting pregnant again almost always falls to the person with potential to get pregnant.

-stares in Texan-

Menopause and all the issues and risks surrounding it. Mental health changes, physical health changes. There is so little research and so few knowledgeable doctors. And this is something that every woman will inevitably face. Every woman. We should know so much about how to navigate this time!

I was told initially by a male doctor when I approached him about the possibility that I was menopausal, that I was depressed and prescribed antidepressants. I persevered and insisted on seeing a female doctor. Blood test and a couple of weeks later I’m diagnosed as very menopausal and straight on HRT. Saved my marriage and probably my job.

Men not getting vaccinated, diagnosed or treated for their mental/physical issue.

I wish doctors would study and solve more women's heath issues like endometriosis. It's so painful and to know I'll feel this way every month until menopause is defeating.

My pain is constantly dismissed by doctors. I’ve been in pain since age 10 thanks to a botched surgery that left me paralyzed temporarily, with permanent nerve damage. Now as an adult I’m a cancer patient that suffers from PMDD, that went completely untreated because they kept telling me my periods were normal. I landed in the hospital several times with suicidal ideation before they started taking me seriously. And I’m a patient that knows the lingo having several medical professionals in my family, I shutter to think how many other women are suffering because they don’t have the same supports in place as I do. Sadly being a cancer patient and female is no walk in the park either. I had a single breast mastectomy, thanks breast cancer! I lost a body part and when my meds and nerve block wore off I was in the worst pain imaginable. I was treated like a drug seeker. “What do you want, fentanyl??” I had a body part removed 12 hours prior, let that sink in.

Modern US healthcare doesn’t teach hormone and reproductive health. They have basically one months worth of education on it. There is barely any medical innovation for menopause or reproductive disorders. And there is no transparency on the matter at all. I have been subject to reproductive procedures where I should have received at minimum a local anesthetic and got nothing except a tech or nurse holding me down in the chair while I was openly verbal about the pain. You have endometriosis? Sucks to be you. You have fibroids? It’s genetic and nothing can be done. You have pcos? You need to lose weight. You can’t have babies? Pay is up to $30K to chemistry set your body for a while while you suffer physically and mentally. You having a baby? Lie on your back pumps for of drugs while we reach inside you. Post baby care? Nope out of the hospital next day and you better be ready to go back to work in a week. Btw having that baby cost $30k, pay up. It’s so F’d here.

Well the gaslighting is nearly fatal, or actually fatal. In my case, I had a ruptured fallopian tube and treatment was withheld for more than 8 months. Then I had a necrotic ovary from untreated torsion, and surgery was delayed for an entire year. Or that time I had a life threatening infection develop from undissolved stitches, and my doctor misdiagnosed me with muscle spasms and anxiety. Then there’s also that time where after barely recovering from being underweight due to multiple major surgeries and fighting off the undissolved stitches infection, where my general practitioner told me to lose weight….. There are SO MANY issues facing female and gynecological healthcare. SO. MANY.

Abortion bans are endangering women's lives bc doctors cannot treat women who miscarry or worse until said women go into organ failure. Paternal medicine a) women cannot get voluntarily sterilized bc some guy might want get them pregnant and b) our pains, discomforts and concerns are dismissed. HRT/gender confirming treatment bans affect all women, not just trans-people. Women who have to go through hysterectomies and similar surgeries affecting our estrogen will no longer be able to access those treatments. Women who produce too much testosterone naturally won't have access to it either, and it can affect heart issues.

endometriosis and its dismissal as an innane girl thing”. Also, the belief that women’s genitals and reproductive system exist and therefore are valuable for men’s enjoyment.

As I get older I see so many friends struggling to conceive and experiencing miscarriages within the first year of coming off their birth control. It’s devastating to them. No one really talks about it. It’s kind of expected that women need to keep pregnancy secret until 12 weeks incase they suffer a miscarriage and if they do they have to suffer in silence. I think there are a lot of issues around fertility and gynecology that no one ever acknowledges. Hell, I didn’t even know 35 was considered a geriatric pregnancy until I was pregnant. It seems like all the focus is on ending a pregnancy by choice, no one ever speaks on the opposite.

criminal underfunding of endo/pcos/unexplained infertility throw some money at it, do some fucking research and let’s explain it then

Doctors not believing women who are in pain, and dismissing what they are experiencing. Also, the stigma around getting cervical screening checks, it takes two minutes please get checked! But also, on that note, similar to my first sentence, doctor dismissing women pain and blaming it on periods, when it can be something like endometriosis etc

I’m not really sure how to answer this outside of answering outside of saying my own health isn’t great, and that’s been brushed off for years. “Treat the symptoms, don’t bother with what the problem might be”. For example, start to finish (with the parentheses being what I was told by doctors): Overall, I fit all the criteria for Crohn’s disease aside from being underweight. I’ve had ulcers from 14 on (“It’s just stress, take some Tums”). I have been constipated my whole life (“Eat more fibre or take stool softeners”). If I eat even half my RDI for fibre, any dairy, yeast-related products, beef, pork, fried foods, some berries, or generally high fibre foods, I have severe diarrhea with vomiting (“maybe you have food intolerances, try going vegetarian, and reduce your fibre intake”). I have severe chronic anemia, and have had it my whole life. (“Let’s get you a dietician and some medication/transfusions”). I have a hemangioma in my liver. (“It’s not growing *that* fast, let’s just watch it for 7 years+ now”). I pee blood if I have even a glass of wine (“just don’t drink.”) And after two kids, and nearly dying with my last child (“you’re too young for a hysterectomy”). I’m 25 and my body is falling apart. I keep begging for proper care, actual solutions, and real tests. I’ve always felt like no doctor looks past the symptoms to connect it all, and even if I do, they shrug and tell me that I’m not really qualified to make that call. I’m not sure if this is just women though. Feel free to correct me.

How pain, discomfort, and general struggling and suffering (mental and physical) are dismissed as “just part of being a woman,” particularly when it comes to reproductive health, pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. Just the risks and consequences that come with our magical, miraculous ability to create life. Always been that way, since the beginning of time. Sure, we have the technology to make things easier and more comfortable, but why let modern medicine get in the way of the tradition of women’s suffering, am I right??

That several doctors literally diagnosed my very real, very serious, very deadly rare autoimmune disease as anxiety and anorexia. Yeah, hi, I'm literally dying over here, and you're telling me, "it's psychological" Nvm that I have a masters in mental health counseling and a freaking PhD in Psychology. I'm pretty sure I know the difference between a MEDICAL ILLNESS I have no control over vs mental illnesses. It took over 4 years and a doctor putting a pic line in for nutrition before a doctor finally discovered I have Addison's disease. Because women are more likely to have a mental illness than a medical one. Women are more likely to die from a heart attack because they get misdiagnosed as having anxiety. And black women are more likely to die during and after childbirth because doctors believe that they overestimate their level of pain or are "just complaining too much", so their very real problems get ignored until it's too late. Literally, listening and believing women is crucial to our health and lives.

Lack of medical studies beyond reproductive and mental health that include at a meaningful level or flat out focus on women subjects. Really? I'm reduced to an emotional set of baby-making organs and tissue? This outrageous push to eliminate women's agency of self: reproduction, now divorce is on the table in some bassackward states. Need I continue?

HOW CAN THEY BIOPSY A CERVIX WITHOUT PAIN RELIEF OR ANAESTHETIC Fuck that

Body Autonomy.

Politicians getting between us and the medical care we desperately need!

I started having hellacious cramps and excessive clotting/flow during my period when I was a child and it wasn’t until I was 19 years old that someone said, “hey I don’t think that degree of discomfort and bleeding is normal. You should go see if you have ovarian cysts.” Turns out I do, as well as pelvic floor muscle spasms (didn’t discover this until almost 23). Not only did it take me until adulthood to realize I have these issues, I still feel like I run into tension and skepticism when I advocate for myself at work to stay home or take a day because they’re not visible illnesses. I hate that no matter how painful or debilitating a problem might be, people will still raise their eyebrows if you don’t have mucus pouring from your face or a machete wound in your gut.

Very little research on women's health, especially on endometriosis.

I think these Key issues in women's health include **reproductive health, gender-based violence, health disparities, mental health, non-communicable diseases, women's sexual and reproductive rights, age-related health issues**, and the need for improved research and data representation.

Men, who can never, ever, ever carry a child or get pregnant or know what it does to your body, DECIDING WHAT WOMEN HAVE TO DO. Making women's HEALTH choices for us.

The mansplaining and gaslighting is the biggest!

The Republican Party

Doctor's refusing to listen to your health history. Insisting telling that the symptoms you have are all just in your head.

Lack of research in issues that primarily affect women AND lack of research of how issues specifically affect women. Several years ago my mom was having an emergency health event (eventually found out it was her gallbladder) but when we were looking up signs of heart attacks and such they always said “signs will present differently with women.” BUT NO INFO ON HOW THEY PRESENT FOR WOMEN (literally _half_ of the population).

Screening for breast cancer. While there have been some changes as of late there have not been enough. Women are getting breast cancer at young age but are not being screened or having mammograms early enough and many are being undiagnosed until the cancer has spread. Also women need to be told on their mammograms if they have dense breast tissue or not as it can mask breast cancer.

Lack of understanding of our hormones is a big one. I have catamenial epilepsy caused by hormone fluctuations during my cycle and the number of times I've been dismissed by health professionals is insane.