<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-27/women-share-experiences-with-medical-misogyny-in-australia/104034918>
'It was a Saturday morning and Debra Clare was putting clothes into her washing
machine when suddenly a pain came across her chest so intensely that she had to
sit on her verandah, sweaty and nauseous, just so she could focus on breathing.
Immediately the 48-year-old knew something wasn't right.
Her partner could tell as well, and soon they were travelling to the closest
hospital in Tamworth — more than an hour away from home.
All the tests came back clear, but weeks passed and Debra continued to
experience heart palpitations, pins and needles and severe chest pain.
"I would sit up in the lounge chair and watch TV because I was that scared to
fall asleep," she says. "I thought I would die."
A year later, doctors were still unable to explain why Debra was experiencing
ongoing pain, but one did offer a suggestion:
"You're clearly having troubles in your relationship … it's just stress and
anxiety," the doctor said, according to Debra.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing: "I just thought, you've got to be
joking."
Across Australia, many women, just like Debra, have done the right thing and
turned to health care when they're living with pain. But for years, many have
described being ignored, dismissed, or misdiagnosed.
The concerningly high number of women, girls and people assigned female at
birth who have experienced this kind of treatment by medical professionals has
even spawned a name: medical misogyny.
Two in three women say they have experienced it, a statistic uncovered
following a national push to address the problem.
And it doesn't just result in poorer health outcomes for women — it can kill
them.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
