Has medicine failed women?

A lot has happened in the last few years. Where once we were very stiff-upper-lip about the common cold, we now back away the moment we hear someone coughing. This knee-jerk response reflects the way that our health, and the importance of looking after ourselves, has been at the forefront since March 2020.

However, while we might have a very different view of our personal wellbeing today compared with three years ago, one thing has remained both before and after the onset of the pandemic: the attitudes towards women’s health.

In 2019, we were having discussions about how women were being ignored by medical professionals. Symptoms were being disregarded and health issues were poorly researched. Today, there remain issues around women being believed and treated properly by medical staff.

According to research conducted by Bolt Burdon Kemp, there is a worrying lack of knowledge about women's health, especially reproductive health. This lack of knowledge has led to many cases of misdiagnosis and mistreatment, resulting in medical negligence claims being made.

So, how have we reached this point? And what happens next?

Myths and gender roles

Myths and the roles women play in society are the last things you want to think are a factor in how medical treatment is administered. But worryingly, there seems to be biases and preconceptions that persist.

Women have historically been considered ‘hysterical’, especially when discussing their mental or physical health. In fact, the term ‘hysteria’ comes from the Greek word for womb, making this a very female attribute. While this term has been left in the past, women continue to be dismissed based on their symptoms being down to hormones - often, when there’s a medical issue that needs to be addressed.

One area where the difference between men and women’s health is stark is when discussing sexual health. There’s an irony in the fact that the male contraceptive pill hasn’t been given the green light due to the side effects experienced – many of which women on similar contraceptives live with daily.
There are also many reports of women actively requesting to have their tubes tied – also known a tubal ligation – and doctors refusing for various reasons.

They’ll be asked invasive questions just to be sure that this is what they want. When placed side-by-side with reports of men who have requested a vasectomy, it becomes clear that women’s sexual health is very much in the hands of the medical professionals.

Poor funding for research

As well as the different assumptions in place, there are also discrepancies in funding for research. For instance, back in 2019, it was revealed that five times more research goes into erectile dysfunction, which affects 19% of men, than into premenstrual syndrome, which affects 90% of women.

This imbalance means that symptoms that women are presenting with aren’t necessarily being picked up as a certain illness or condition, simply because the research isn’t there to support what the condition could be. Instead, misdiagnosis is more likely as medical professionals don’t know enough about the alternatives. This, in turn, can have negative consequences for women who are already in pain.

Poor inclusion

As well as clinical research being out of reach, there’s a lack of women on the medical teams who are doing the research. Representation matters – especially in labs where studies are being carried out. By having more women on these teams, it’s more likely that the balance will shift in favour of ploughing funding into women’s health issues.   

Negative healthcare outcomes

Women’s healthcare outcomes are already lower than they should be. When we look into this further, it becomes clear that there are discrepancies if you’re a BAME woman. For instance, if you’re a Black woman, you’re four times more likely to die in pregnancy.

There’s already an equality gap in healthcare. But when we drill down into the details, race also plays its part.

Things must change. Women are being repeatedly let down by medical professionals, with their conditions worsening unnecessarily and their lives being severely impacted. It’s more than ‘just hormones’; it’s genuine suffering and it can’t be overlooked anymore.

This is a guest blog entry.