Inside Medicine’s Gender Problem: When Women’s Pain Isn’t Taken Seriously
One woman shares her story of experiencing medical misogyny, from teenage period pain to IVF heartbreak, and the fight for care that actually listens.
Her journey with fertility and loss began over a decade ago, but the signs were there earlier. At 15, she was in pain from her period, seeking a medical certificate from her GP to exempt her from an exam. Instead of concern, she was met with mockery, her "tummy troubles" dismissed as a joke.
My “tummy troubles” were a joke, a comical reason to skip a cooking exam.
This moment marked the beginning of a long line of gendered dismissals, where women's pain is normalized, their instincts doubted, and their bodies treated as problems to be solved rather than people to be cared for.
Author's summary: Medical misogyny affects women's healthcare.