Latest news with #chronicpain
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The Independent
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘I'm in pain with endometrosis almost daily but have to justify how bad it is to get care I need'
Zainab Kaleemullah lives with debilitating pain almost daily, and despite a 14-year battle to finally get a diagnosis, she says she still has to justify her pain to get the treatment she needs. The 36-year-old has severe endometriosis and adenomyosis - painful conditions where tissue grows outside of the uterus or into the muscular wall of it - and spent more than a decade making repeated trips to doctors to get to the bottom of the cause. She says she was misdiagnosed with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and depression, and even after being diagnosed, she faced a further two-year wait for surgery to remove the harmful tissue. She told The Independent: 'I get pain almost every day now… Sometimes I've felt that my condition isn't taken seriously, or they [medics] think that I perhaps over exaggerated with my pain, or they think it's probably something else.' 'This condition was causing me such debilitating pain, and I almost feel like I have to justify it every single time I talk about it.' Ms Kaleemullah is one of the 25 million people in England struggling with a long-term health condition, such as endometriosis, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy and diabetes. Research shared exclusively with The Independent estimates that around 7.5 million of those are not getting the support they need from NHS services - a 10 per cent in the past five years, according to a study by charity National Voices and think tank Future Health. Patients with long-term conditions account for 70 per cent of GP appointments and 50 per cent of hospital appointments and treatment. Despite this, 11.5 million do not have an NHS plan to help them manage their illness, such as timely access to specialists or correct pain management. The report authors have called for the NHS to be measured on this performance and held to account on patients' experience, alongside its existing targets for A&E and hospital care. Richard Sloggett, programme director for Future Health and a report author, called for the government to prioritise the experiences of patients with long-term conditions. He said: 'This report highlights the challenges millions of patients with long-term conditions are facing in accessing high-quality NHS services and support. There is a danger in yet another NHS restructure that the experience of patients is marginalised. This would be completely counter-productive.' Sharon Brennan, director of policy and advocacy group External Affairs at National Voices, said: 'We know people with long-term conditions feel increasingly alone in managing their health needs, often acting as the single co-ordinator of their care while also trying to maintain a life that is more than just their health conditions 'The NHS must move from a bean-counting culture of data collection and seek to understand the experiences of real people using the NHS.' 'It's like my insides are set alight' Even after surgery, Ms Kaleemullah said she continues to struggle to get the support she needs from the NHS. She said GPs and other specialists fail to see endometriosis as a 'full body illness', presuming instead that it is only associated with periods. 'I can have very debilitating pelvic pain, and it feels almost like my insides have been set alight…I get pain almost every day now. I can't walk long distances because I get really bad, lower back pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, get really bad migraines, fatigue… so it's very frustrating when I present myself to the doctor that they don't take into full account that I'm dealing with this at every single day.' Endometriosis, which impacts more than 1.5 million women in the UK, is a condition in which body tissues that line the inside of the uterus can grow outside of the womb, often affecting other organs such as the ovaries and bladder. 'I have to prove I need medication' Mary Saunders from Southport lives with hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone. Patients with the condition need lifelong medication. It took her 16 years to get a correct diagnosis; however, much like Ms Kaleemullah, she has she struggled to manage her condition and access the medication she needed. It took seven years of taking the standard medication, levothyroxine, with persistent new and worsening symptoms occurring, to discover, through her own research, that there was an alternative called liothyronine, which was more expensive for the NHS. This month, the pharmaceutical company Advanz lost a high court appeal against a £99 million fine by the Competition and Markets Authority in 2021, after it increased the cost of liothyronine from £20 a box to £248. NHS doctors eventually agreed she could trial liothyronine but said she would have to buy it privately, so she spent years trying to source the medication more cheaply in Europe. However, when Covid hit and this became impossible, Ms Saunders again sought to get an NHS prescription. To do this, doctors said she would have to 'prove' she needed the medication by coming off of it for six weeks. 'It's like saying to patients. You're gonna be ill for six weeks now, because you're not gonna have what you need, the life-giving medication that supports your body.' Although she is now under an endocrinologist she trusts, Ms Saunders says: 'If my doctor leaves the service, I could be thrown right back where I was, I couldn't count on the NHS, because I have had 16 years of this, I don't count on the NHS.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The government inherited a broken NHS, and it is unacceptable that too many people living with long term conditions have not been getting the care they need. 'The 10 Year Health Plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention, while putting patients at the centre of their own care.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rachel Corsie calls time after chronic pain with dream ending for Scotland
Rachel Corsie has revealed she has battled through chronic pain to ensure she could end her career with the dream scenario of playing for her country. The 35-year-old Scotland captain will retire after the Women's Nations League matches at home to Austria on Friday and the away game against the Netherlands in Tilburg on 3 June. Corsie, who recovered from a knee injury to play her final club game for Aston Villa this month, said: 'My body has really wanted this to be my last year but my heart and my head have been stubborn and said 'I'm not quite ready'.' Advertisement Related: Straight-talking Slegers lifted Arsenal to glory – now club must back her vision 'Getting back to playing at the end of the season was a really tough ambition and objective, but we got there. I feel like playing in WSL, playing international football, that is the highest level, and so to be turning 36 in August and know I've got to this point, that feels the right place for me [to stop].' Corsie, who has won 154 caps, said her career has surpassed everything she thought it would. 'For the first 20 years of my life, sport was what sport is for the average person; you do it alongside your studies or your schoolwork and you do it with your friends, you do it in the garden, you do it at the park. To get to do that as a professional, I massively treasure that. That's why I've been able to give my all to it, because I have a genuine love for football.' The former Aberdeen youngster, who missed one club game through suspension in her 19-year career, won seven league titles with Glasgow City, five Scottish Cups and four Scottish league cups, as well as the NWSL Shield with Seattle Reign in 2015. She has also played in Australia with Canberra United and represented Notts County, Birmingham City and Kansas City Current. In 2023-24 she was a regular for Aston Villa in the English top tier but this year she was able to make only two WSL appearances and she explained the day-to-day agony she has endured. Advertisement 'Over the course of my career, I've had six surgeries in total, five on my left knee,' said Corsie, who is a qualified accountant. 'This time around, I was sort of told by the surgeon before having the surgery that the condition of my knee was fairly concerning and that surgery would potentially give some relief. But there's quite a serious likelihood the damage that's been done over the course of my career is going to be impactful to the rest of my life. 'I wanted to do the surgery because I knew that I couldn't get back playing leaving it as it was. I was in chronic pain all the time, walking up and down stairs to the house, getting in and out of the shower and having to climb out the bath. You tolerate it in sport. You're willing to accept some level of pain and discomfort, but it's the rest of your day where it probably mentally impacts you more because there's no respite. 'The first half of the season, especially from October through to January, was a much harder journey. It was one I had nothing to relate it to. The emotional stress and knowing potentially this could be your last year and going to not make it back, is something that for any athlete is extremely difficult. 'It has been a tough journey. But I have made it and it has been worth – I think – all those days in pain. Some days you don't believe you're going to do it but the only option is to keep going.' Advertisement The centre-back, who has scored 20 times for her country since making her debut in 2009, captained Scotland at their first Women's World Cup in 2019. 'To lead your team out at their first ever game at a World Cup is just a moment that can't be replicated and that moment probably fills me with the most pride.' For that reason, she is particularly proud she will conclude her career with a national team camp, which began on Monday, saying it feels almost perfect to finish in this way. 'When I got the call to say I was going be in [the squad], I was over the moon. There's something special about being Scottish and it's been the one thing, the light, I've needed at times to keep going, to want to keep pushing.'
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Women face medical gaslighting for chronic pain, experts say
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writers. CNN is showcasing the work of The Conversation, a collaboration between journalists and academics to provide news analysis and commentary. The content is produced solely by The Conversation. For people with chronic gynecological pain conditions, pain can be constant, making everyday activities like sitting, riding a bicycle and even wearing underwear extremely uncomfortable. For many of these people — most of whom identify as women — sexual intercourse and routine pelvic exams are unbearable. Endometriosis and vulvodynia, or chronic genital pain, are common gynecological conditions that can cause severe pain. They each affect about 1 in 10 American women. Yet many women face skepticism and gaslighting in health care settings when they seek care for this type of pain. READ MORE: Ovarian cysts can be painful when they burst. When do you need to see a doctor? We know this well through our research on social cognition and on how people with misunderstood health conditions manage difficult conversations with their doctors and family, as well as through volunteer work alongside people living with these conditions. We've consistently found that medical gaslighting around chronic gynecological pain is a complex societal problem, fueled by holes in medical research and training. A 2024 study of patients who went to a clinic for vulvovaginal pain — pain experienced in the external female genitals and vagina –- found that 45% of these patients had been told that they 'just needed to relax more' and 39% were made to feel that they were 'crazy.' A staggering 55% had considered giving up on seeking care. These results echo what one of us — Elizabeth Hintz — found in her 2023 meta-synthesis: Female patients with chronic pain conditions frequently hear this 'it's all in your head' response from doctors. Another study followed patients in two different major US cities who were seeking care for vulvovaginal pain. The researchers found that most patients saw multiple clinicians but never received a diagnosis. Given the challenges of seeking medical care, many patients turn to social media sources like Reddit for support and information. These studies, among others, illustrate how people with these conditions often spend years going to clinician after clinician seeking care and being told their pain is psychological or perhaps not even real. Given these experiences, why do patients keep seeking care? 'Let me describe the pain that would drive me to try so many different doctors, tests and treatments,' a patient with vulvovaginal pain said to her doctor. For her, sex 'is like taking your most sensitive area and trying to rip it apart.' 'I can now wear any pants or underwear that I want with no pain,' said another patient after successful treatment. 'I never realized how much of a toll the pain took on my body every day until it was gone.' Many patients worldwide experience medical gaslighting — a social phenomenon where a patient's health concerns are not given appropriate medical evaluation and are instead downplayed, misattributed or dismissed outright. Medical gaslighting is rooted in centuries of gender bias in medicine. Women's reproductive health issues have long been dismissed as psychological or 'hysterical.' Genital and pelvic pain especially has been misattributed to psychological rather than biological causes: A century ago, Freudian psychoanalysts incorrectly believed that female sexual pain came from psychological complexes like penis envy. These historical views help shed light on why these symptoms are still not taken seriously today. In addition to the physical toll of untreated pain, medical gaslighting can take a psychological toll. Women may become isolated when other people do not believe their pain. Some internalize this disbelief and can begin to doubt their own perceptions of pain and even their sanity. This cycle of gaslighting compounds the burden of the pain and might lead to long-term psychological effects like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. For some, the repeated experience of being dismissed by clinicians erodes their sense of trust in the health care system. They might hesitate to seek medical attention in the future, fearing they will once again be dismissed. Although some chronic gynecological pain conditions like endometriosis are gaining public attention and becoming better understood, these dynamics persist. Part of the reason for the misunderstanding surrounding chronic gynecological pain conditions is the lack of research on them. A January report from the National Academies found that research on diseases disproportionately affecting women were underfunded compared with diseases disproportionately affecting men. This problem has gotten worse over time. The proportion of funding from the National Institutes of Health spent on women's health has actually declined over the past decade. Despite these known disparities, in April the Trump administration threatened to end funding for the Women's Health Initiative, a long-running women's health research program, further worsening the problem. READ MORE: The Women's Health Initiative has shaped women's health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain Without sustained federal funding for women's health research, conditions like endometriosis and vulvodynia will remain poorly understood, leaving clinicians in the dark and patients stranded. As hard as it is for any female patient to have their pain believed and treated, gaining recognition for chronic pain is even harder for those who face discrimination based on class or race. One 2016 study found that half of the white medical students surveyed endorsed at least one false belief about biological differences between Black and white patients, such as that Black people have physically thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings than white people. The medical students and residents who endorsed these false beliefs also underestimated Black patients' pain and offered them less accurate treatment recommendations. Studies show that women are more likely to develop chronic pain conditions and report more frequent and severe pain than men. But women are perceived as more emotional and thus less reliable in describing their pain than men. Consequently, female patients who describe the same symptoms as male patients are judged to be in less pain and are less likely to be offered pain relief, even in emergency settings and with female clinicians. Compared to male patients, female patients are more likely to be prescribed psychological care instead of pain medicine. These lingering erroneous beliefs about gender and race are key reasons patients' pain is dismissed, misunderstood and ignored. The very real-life consequences for patients include delayed diagnosis, treatment and even death. Correcting these problems will require a shift in clinical training, so as to challenge biased views about pain in women and racial minorities and to educate clinicians about common pain conditions like vulvodynia. Research suggests that medical training needs to teach students to better listen to patients' lived experiences and admit when an answer isn't known. In the meantime, people navigating the health care system can take practical steps when encountering dismissive care. They can educate themselves about chronic gynecological pain conditions by reading books like 'When Sex Hurts: Understanding and Healing Pelvic Pain' or educational information from trusted sources like the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health, the International Pelvic Pain Society and the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease. Although these steps do not address the roots of medical gaslighting, they can empower patients to better understand the medical conditions that could cause their symptoms, helping to counteract the effects of gaslighting. READ MORE: Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds If someone you know has experienced medical gaslighting and would like support, there are resources available. Organizations like The Endometriosis Association and the National Vulvodynia Association offer support networks and information — like how to find knowledgeable providers. Additionally, connecting with patient advocacy groups like Tight Lipped can provide opportunities for patients to engage in changing the health care system.
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Women face medical gaslighting for chronic pain, experts say
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writers. CNN is showcasing the work of The Conversation, a collaboration between journalists and academics to provide news analysis and commentary. The content is produced solely by The Conversation. For people with chronic gynecological pain conditions, pain can be constant, making everyday activities like sitting, riding a bicycle and even wearing underwear extremely uncomfortable. For many of these people — most of whom identify as women — sexual intercourse and routine pelvic exams are unbearable. Endometriosis and vulvodynia, or chronic genital pain, are common gynecological conditions that can cause severe pain. They each affect about 1 in 10 American women. Yet many women face skepticism and gaslighting in health care settings when they seek care for this type of pain. READ MORE: Ovarian cysts can be painful when they burst. When do you need to see a doctor? We know this well through our research on social cognition and on how people with misunderstood health conditions manage difficult conversations with their doctors and family, as well as through volunteer work alongside people living with these conditions. We've consistently found that medical gaslighting around chronic gynecological pain is a complex societal problem, fueled by holes in medical research and training. A 2024 study of patients who went to a clinic for vulvovaginal pain — pain experienced in the external female genitals and vagina –- found that 45% of these patients had been told that they 'just needed to relax more' and 39% were made to feel that they were 'crazy.' A staggering 55% had considered giving up on seeking care. These results echo what one of us — Elizabeth Hintz — found in her 2023 meta-synthesis: Female patients with chronic pain conditions frequently hear this 'it's all in your head' response from doctors. Another study followed patients in two different major US cities who were seeking care for vulvovaginal pain. The researchers found that most patients saw multiple clinicians but never received a diagnosis. Given the challenges of seeking medical care, many patients turn to social media sources like Reddit for support and information. These studies, among others, illustrate how people with these conditions often spend years going to clinician after clinician seeking care and being told their pain is psychological or perhaps not even real. Given these experiences, why do patients keep seeking care? 'Let me describe the pain that would drive me to try so many different doctors, tests and treatments,' a patient with vulvovaginal pain said to her doctor. For her, sex 'is like taking your most sensitive area and trying to rip it apart.' 'I can now wear any pants or underwear that I want with no pain,' said another patient after successful treatment. 'I never realized how much of a toll the pain took on my body every day until it was gone.' Many patients worldwide experience medical gaslighting — a social phenomenon where a patient's health concerns are not given appropriate medical evaluation and are instead downplayed, misattributed or dismissed outright. Medical gaslighting is rooted in centuries of gender bias in medicine. Women's reproductive health issues have long been dismissed as psychological or 'hysterical.' Genital and pelvic pain especially has been misattributed to psychological rather than biological causes: A century ago, Freudian psychoanalysts incorrectly believed that female sexual pain came from psychological complexes like penis envy. These historical views help shed light on why these symptoms are still not taken seriously today. In addition to the physical toll of untreated pain, medical gaslighting can take a psychological toll. Women may become isolated when other people do not believe their pain. Some internalize this disbelief and can begin to doubt their own perceptions of pain and even their sanity. This cycle of gaslighting compounds the burden of the pain and might lead to long-term psychological effects like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. For some, the repeated experience of being dismissed by clinicians erodes their sense of trust in the health care system. They might hesitate to seek medical attention in the future, fearing they will once again be dismissed. Although some chronic gynecological pain conditions like endometriosis are gaining public attention and becoming better understood, these dynamics persist. Part of the reason for the misunderstanding surrounding chronic gynecological pain conditions is the lack of research on them. A January report from the National Academies found that research on diseases disproportionately affecting women were underfunded compared with diseases disproportionately affecting men. This problem has gotten worse over time. The proportion of funding from the National Institutes of Health spent on women's health has actually declined over the past decade. Despite these known disparities, in April the Trump administration threatened to end funding for the Women's Health Initiative, a long-running women's health research program, further worsening the problem. READ MORE: The Women's Health Initiative has shaped women's health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain Without sustained federal funding for women's health research, conditions like endometriosis and vulvodynia will remain poorly understood, leaving clinicians in the dark and patients stranded. As hard as it is for any female patient to have their pain believed and treated, gaining recognition for chronic pain is even harder for those who face discrimination based on class or race. One 2016 study found that half of the white medical students surveyed endorsed at least one false belief about biological differences between Black and white patients, such as that Black people have physically thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings than white people. The medical students and residents who endorsed these false beliefs also underestimated Black patients' pain and offered them less accurate treatment recommendations. Studies show that women are more likely to develop chronic pain conditions and report more frequent and severe pain than men. But women are perceived as more emotional and thus less reliable in describing their pain than men. Consequently, female patients who describe the same symptoms as male patients are judged to be in less pain and are less likely to be offered pain relief, even in emergency settings and with female clinicians. Compared to male patients, female patients are more likely to be prescribed psychological care instead of pain medicine. These lingering erroneous beliefs about gender and race are key reasons patients' pain is dismissed, misunderstood and ignored. The very real-life consequences for patients include delayed diagnosis, treatment and even death. Correcting these problems will require a shift in clinical training, so as to challenge biased views about pain in women and racial minorities and to educate clinicians about common pain conditions like vulvodynia. Research suggests that medical training needs to teach students to better listen to patients' lived experiences and admit when an answer isn't known. In the meantime, people navigating the health care system can take practical steps when encountering dismissive care. They can educate themselves about chronic gynecological pain conditions by reading books like 'When Sex Hurts: Understanding and Healing Pelvic Pain' or educational information from trusted sources like the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health, the International Pelvic Pain Society and the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease. Although these steps do not address the roots of medical gaslighting, they can empower patients to better understand the medical conditions that could cause their symptoms, helping to counteract the effects of gaslighting. READ MORE: Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds If someone you know has experienced medical gaslighting and would like support, there are resources available. Organizations like The Endometriosis Association and the National Vulvodynia Association offer support networks and information — like how to find knowledgeable providers. Additionally, connecting with patient advocacy groups like Tight Lipped can provide opportunities for patients to engage in changing the health care system.
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Women face medical gaslighting for chronic pain, experts say
Fighting disinformation Women's health Chronic diseasesFacebookTweetLink Follow EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writers. CNN is showcasing the work of The Conversation, a collaboration between journalists and academics to provide news analysis and commentary. The content is produced solely by The Conversation. For people with chronic gynecological pain conditions, pain can be constant, making everyday activities like sitting, riding a bicycle and even wearing underwear extremely uncomfortable. For many of these people — most of whom identify as women — sexual intercourse and routine pelvic exams are unbearable. Endometriosis and vulvodynia, or chronic genital pain, are common gynecological conditions that can cause severe pain. They each affect about 1 in 10 American women. Yet many women face skepticism and gaslighting in health care settings when they seek care for this type of pain. READ MORE: Ovarian cysts can be painful when they burst. When do you need to see a doctor? We know this well through our research on social cognition and on how people with misunderstood health conditions manage difficult conversations with their doctors and family, as well as through volunteer work alongside people living with these conditions. We've consistently found that medical gaslighting around chronic gynecological pain is a complex societal problem, fueled by holes in medical research and training. A 2024 study of patients who went to a clinic for vulvovaginal pain — pain experienced in the external female genitals and vagina –- found that 45% of these patients had been told that they 'just needed to relax more' and 39% were made to feel that they were 'crazy.' A staggering 55% had considered giving up on seeking care. These results echo what one of us — Elizabeth Hintz — found in her 2023 meta-synthesis: Female patients with chronic pain conditions frequently hear this 'it's all in your head' response from doctors. Another study followed patients in two different major US cities who were seeking care for vulvovaginal pain. The researchers found that most patients saw multiple clinicians but never received a diagnosis. Given the challenges of seeking medical care, many patients turn to social media sources like Reddit for support and information. These studies, among others, illustrate how people with these conditions often spend years going to clinician after clinician seeking care and being told their pain is psychological or perhaps not even real. Given these experiences, why do patients keep seeking care? 'Let me describe the pain that would drive me to try so many different doctors, tests and treatments,' a patient with vulvovaginal pain said to her doctor. For her, sex 'is like taking your most sensitive area and trying to rip it apart.' 'I can now wear any pants or underwear that I want with no pain,' said another patient after successful treatment. 'I never realized how much of a toll the pain took on my body every day until it was gone.' Many patients worldwide experience medical gaslighting — a social phenomenon where a patient's health concerns are not given appropriate medical evaluation and are instead downplayed, misattributed or dismissed outright. Medical gaslighting is rooted in centuries of gender bias in medicine. Women's reproductive health issues have long been dismissed as psychological or 'hysterical.' Genital and pelvic pain especially has been misattributed to psychological rather than biological causes: A century ago, Freudian psychoanalysts incorrectly believed that female sexual pain came from psychological complexes like penis envy. These historical views help shed light on why these symptoms are still not taken seriously today. In addition to the physical toll of untreated pain, medical gaslighting can take a psychological toll. Women may become isolated when other people do not believe their pain. Some internalize this disbelief and can begin to doubt their own perceptions of pain and even their sanity. This cycle of gaslighting compounds the burden of the pain and might lead to long-term psychological effects like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. For some, the repeated experience of being dismissed by clinicians erodes their sense of trust in the health care system. They might hesitate to seek medical attention in the future, fearing they will once again be dismissed. Although some chronic gynecological pain conditions like endometriosis are gaining public attention and becoming better understood, these dynamics persist. Part of the reason for the misunderstanding surrounding chronic gynecological pain conditions is the lack of research on them. A January report from the National Academies found that research on diseases disproportionately affecting women were underfunded compared with diseases disproportionately affecting men. This problem has gotten worse over time. The proportion of funding from the National Institutes of Health spent on women's health has actually declined over the past decade. Despite these known disparities, in April the Trump administration threatened to end funding for the Women's Health Initiative, a long-running women's health research program, further worsening the problem. READ MORE: The Women's Health Initiative has shaped women's health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain Without sustained federal funding for women's health research, conditions like endometriosis and vulvodynia will remain poorly understood, leaving clinicians in the dark and patients stranded. As hard as it is for any female patient to have their pain believed and treated, gaining recognition for chronic pain is even harder for those who face discrimination based on class or race. One 2016 study found that half of the white medical students surveyed endorsed at least one false belief about biological differences between Black and white patients, such as that Black people have physically thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings than white people. The medical students and residents who endorsed these false beliefs also underestimated Black patients' pain and offered them less accurate treatment recommendations. Studies show that women are more likely to develop chronic pain conditions and report more frequent and severe pain than men. But women are perceived as more emotional and thus less reliable in describing their pain than men. Consequently, female patients who describe the same symptoms as male patients are judged to be in less pain and are less likely to be offered pain relief, even in emergency settings and with female clinicians. Compared to male patients, female patients are more likely to be prescribed psychological care instead of pain medicine. These lingering erroneous beliefs about gender and race are key reasons patients' pain is dismissed, misunderstood and ignored. The very real-life consequences for patients include delayed diagnosis, treatment and even death. Correcting these problems will require a shift in clinical training, so as to challenge biased views about pain in women and racial minorities and to educate clinicians about common pain conditions like vulvodynia. Research suggests that medical training needs to teach students to better listen to patients' lived experiences and admit when an answer isn't known. In the meantime, people navigating the health care system can take practical steps when encountering dismissive care. They can educate themselves about chronic gynecological pain conditions by reading books like 'When Sex Hurts: Understanding and Healing Pelvic Pain' or educational information from trusted sources like the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health, the International Pelvic Pain Society and the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease. Although these steps do not address the roots of medical gaslighting, they can empower patients to better understand the medical conditions that could cause their symptoms, helping to counteract the effects of gaslighting. READ MORE: Endometriosis pain leads to missed school and work in two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds If someone you know has experienced medical gaslighting and would like support, there are resources available. Organizations like The Endometriosis Association and the National Vulvodynia Association offer support networks and information — like how to find knowledgeable providers. Additionally, connecting with patient advocacy groups like Tight Lipped can provide opportunities for patients to engage in changing the health care system.
