Addressing Medical Misogyny and the Need for Better Women's Health Education: Insights from the Recent Women and Equalities Committee Report

The recent report from the Women and Equalities Committee has sparked significant conversation, particularly around the term "misogyny" and its connection to healthcare. It’s impossible to ignore the impact of this conversation, especially as it pertains to women’s reproductive health. Specifically, the report highlights the pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological conditions, compounded by poor awareness, lack of education, and, as it points out,?medical misogyny.

A couple of key excerpts from the report stand out:

• “Pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological health, a lack of education and medical misogyny has continued to poor awareness of these conditions.”
• “…but because of a lack of empathy and medical misogyny.”

It’s clear that the report focuses on?medical misogyny?in relation to the experiences of women seeking help for gynaecological conditions. What stands out is the repeated testimony from women who described having their pain and symptoms dismissed or normalised by healthcare professionals. The evidence highlights a deeply concerning issue—women are often not taken seriously when presenting symptoms related to their reproductive health, and this dismissal, combined with a lack of education, has serious consequences for timely diagnosis and treatment.

The Gap in Communication and Understanding

For many women, discussing issues like period pain or irregularities in their menstrual cycle with healthcare professionals (HCPs) can feel like an uphill battle. One area where this gap becomes particularly evident is in the terminology used. Take heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), for example. If you were to look up the clinical definition of HMB, you'd find that the diagnostic criteria are vague, and they can vary. For many patients, it becomes difficult to understand whether their symptoms qualify as HMB, as the term "heavy" itself feels subjective and personal.

This communication gap between patients and HCPs can often lead to misunderstandings and delays in diagnosis. I don’t believe this disconnect comes from a place of intentional misogyny. Instead, it reflects a deeper issue: a lack of proper education, particularly at the primary care level, about the signs, symptoms, and conditions related to women’s reproductive health. Conditions like HMB, endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are often not at the forefront of healthcare training, and this knowledge gap has real-world consequences for women’s health.

The Fight to Be Heard

One of the most striking themes of the report is the recurring sentiment from women that they often feel as though they have to "fight" to have their voices heard. Many women report their symptoms being downplayed or dismissed until they reach a crisis point. The report notes that women often feel their health concerns are only taken seriously when it relates to fertility issues. The typical narrative is that women are dismissed until they experience difficulty conceiving, at which point they may be referred to a gynaecologist to investigate the underlying causes.

This approach, while not always intentional, often results in unnecessary suffering, prolonged pain, and, in some cases, irreversible health damage. The point here is not that the healthcare system is inherently flawed, but rather that there is a significant gap in how women's health is prioritised—especially when it comes to conditions that are often misunderstood or stigmatised.

Changing the Narrative: Education and Empathy Are Key

To truly address these challenges, we must focus on two critical areas:?education?and?empathy. First, medical professionals at all levels of care need more comprehensive training on women’s health issues, especially those related to reproductive health. Conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, and HMB are not "niche" concerns—they affect millions of women, and a lack of awareness can result in devastating consequences.

Second, we need to foster greater empathy and understanding from healthcare professionals when treating women. The stigma around menstruation, period pain, and other reproductive health issues must be dismantled. Women should feel empowered to speak openly about their health concerns without fear of being dismissed or belittled. In the same way that healthcare providers would approach a patient with a serious chronic condition, there must be the same level of respect, urgency, and empathy given to those seeking help for reproductive health issues.

Conclusion: A Call for Change

As the report from the Women and Equalities Committee rightly points out, there is a clear need for change. Medical misogyny may be an uncomfortable term, but it reflects an ongoing issue that many women face in the healthcare system: being disregarded, their pain dismissed, and their conditions under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed.

By addressing the gaps in education, fostering empathy in patient-provider relationships, and ensuring that women’s health concerns are taken seriously, we can begin to create a healthcare system that genuinely supports women’s well-being. This is not just about improving care for women—it’s about ensuring that all individuals, regardless of gender, receive the care, respect, and attention they deserve when it comes to their health.