Why Women’s Pain Is Still Dismissed in Modern Medicine
By: Nicole T. Ramanand
Introduction
Imagine a woman goes to the doctor after having severe pelvic pain. Her period is heavy, and she’s been diagnosed as infertile. She limps into the room, and sits on the chair- only for it to be dismissed as bad cramps. Turns out, after the doctors finally investigated, she had endometriosis- a chronic,often painful, and a progressive disease where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. This situation comes in different forms for women globally. Women are always dismissed because they’re being ‘dramatic’, or they’re ‘overreacting’ when something could be seriously wrong with them. Women are known to experience more pain than men do- but why are they taken less seriously?
Body #1
Starting off, women’s pain is often dismissed in modern medicine due to ingrained gender and racial bias. The "Hysteria" legacy is one of the oldest views on women, which have evolved into modern day bias. The "Hysteria" legacy is a historical/patriarchal perspective that deem women as prone to exaggeration, and this has turned into modern bias that view women as ‘too emotional,’ which result in their physical pain being taken less seriously. Due to this, women's diagnoses are heavily delayed and women aren’t properly cared for like how men are. To build off of that, racial bias is also heavily amplified in clinics. Women of color face intersectional stereotypes regarding pain tolerance, which cause even longer delays in care. These biases create disadvantages for women, which leads to economic, health, and social disparities. These biases also make it more likely for doctors to link women’s pain to psychological issues rather than physical issues, which result in inadequate treatment, delayed diagnoses, and poorer health outcomes (particularly for Black women). Taking everything into account, it is apparent that due to bias that dates back to ancient times, women’s pain is often dismissed because of ingrained gender and racial bias.
Body #2
To carry on, due to the historical unrepretentation in medical research, there isn’t much information on how to treat women. To further explain, most clinical trials and research studies were conducted on male subjects, which leads to the point that modern medical knowledge is based on the male body, which was noted by 9 News Australia. Obviously, the male body is different from the average female body in many different ways, involving structure, symptoms, illness reactions, etc. This leads to my point where because research has centered around the male body, symptoms that differ for women are overlooked or misinterpreted. This leads to misdiagnosis and women not being able to be treated the way they should be. When we step back and look at the cumulative evidence, it becomes clear then women cannot be adequately diagnosed with research revolving around the male body.
Body #3
Lastly, women's pain is so often dismissed due to the fact that pain and lack of diagnostic certainty has been normalized in today’s society. Period cramps, menstruation, childbirth, and endometriosis have been normalized in today’s society, with doctors suggesting it’s just a routine part of being a woman. Additionally, Harvard Women’s Health Watch has shown that if a doctor cannot immediately diagnose a cause of pain, they are more likely to dismiss it rather than investigate further. This highlights a “diagnostic gap.” When medical tests come back as normal, they immediately assume that the pain isn’t real or serious, rather than acknowledging the limits of current diagnostic tools. While no single factor tells the whole story, the common thread running through these points suggests women aren’t taken seriously enough due to the negligence of doctors.
Conclusion
Women’s pain is not ignored because it is rare, unclear, or insignificant. It is ignored because medicine still carries the weight of outdated beliefs, incomplete research, and normalized dismissal. From the legacy of gendered and racial bias, to decades of research centered on the male body, to a culture that treats women’s suffering as routine, the pattern is consistent and dee[ply embedded. These factors do not operate separately. They compound, creating a system where women wait longer for treatment, receive less adequate treatment, and are more likely to have their pain questioned rather than treated.
Recognizing this problem is the first step, but change requires more than awareness. It requires reform in medical education, inclusive research practices, Dana shift in how healthcare professionals listen to and believe their patients. Women should not have to prove their pain is real before they receive care. Until medicine fully acknowledges and corrects these systematic issues, women’s suffering will continue to be minimized in places meant to heal them.
