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Why Women’s Pain Still Goes Unheard in Medicine
The article says many women experience serious pain related to their reproductive health.
Sometimes doctors or other people wrongly treat this pain as normal or unimportant.
Endometriosis, a condition that can cause severe pain, may take up to 12 years to diagnose.
The author describes how a friend’s illness was identified only after many hospital visits and surgeries.
The author also describes being diagnosed with PMOS and later with an autoimmune condition.
A new Indian genome-wide study may help scientists understand why some people develop endometriosis.
The study also helps include more South Asian people in genetic research.
The article says shame around periods can make it harder for women to seek help.
It argues that society and medicine must listen to women and take their pain seriously.
India’s first genome-wide study of endometriosis highlights genetics and addresses South Asian underrepresentation in research.
The article argues that women’s reproductive pain is often dismissed by society and the medical system.
Endometriosis can take up to 12 years to diagnose, while PMOS may also require several doctors and years of evaluation.
Menstrual taboos and shame in India can prevent women from discussing reproductive health problems openly.
The author says scientific progress must be matched by social change and greater respect for women’s pain.
- Who
- Women experiencing reproductive disorders, including endometriosis and PMOS, as well as the doctors and society responding to them.
- What
- An opinion article argues that women’s reproductive pain is routinely dismissed and discusses a new Indian genome-wide study of endometriosis.
- Where
- The issue is discussed globally, with particular attention to India.
- When
- The article refers to a recent genome-wide study and describes diagnosis delays lasting up to 12 years.
- Why
- The author attributes poor understanding and delayed diagnosis to gender bias, social stigma, menstrual taboos, and insufficient medical attention to women’s pain.
Key facts
- Research development
- India’s first genome-wide study of endometriosis examined the role of genetics in the condition.
- Research gap
- The study addresses the underrepresentation of South Asian people in genetic research on endometriosis.
- Endometriosis diagnosis
- A confirmed diagnosis can take up to 12 years.
- Author’s experience
- The author says they were diagnosed with Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome at 17 and later received a diagnosis for an autoimmune condition.
- Friend’s experience
- The author’s friend was diagnosed with endometriosis after 12 years of hospital visits and unexplained illness.
- Social barrier
- Menstruation and reproductive health remain taboo in large parts of India, according to the article.
Quotes
Hilary Mantel
Author who wrote about her experience with endometriosis
“People talked — and still do — of a ‘low-pain threshold’. I didn’t want anyone to think I had that.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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