5 minute read
The Pain Gap
INEQUALITIES IN FEMALE CARE AND TREATMENT By Mason Braasch, Lifestyle Staff Writer Graphics by Sammy Meyerson
It’s the age-old battle of the sexes: is it more painful for women to give birth or for men to be kicked in their genitalia?
Despite millions weighing in on the argument, we will probably never know the answer. One thing to be sure of, though: if you’re a male complaining about the aftermath of this pain to a medical professional, you are more likely to be believed than a woman doing the same.
In her memoir, best-selling author and sociologist Tressie McMillam Cottom recalls the story of giving birth to her daughter. She describes that despite bleeding heavily and experiencing laborlike pains, medical professionals did not believe that her situation was urgent. It wasn’t until three days later that doctors found tumors in her body; Cottom’s daughter died soon after. After this traumatizing experience, Cotton was offered only one piece of advice: “You should have told us.”1
This story, while devastating, is not unique. It isn’t hard to find female horror stories about their healthcare experiences. The internet is filled with blogs, tweets and posts describing instances in which women faced devastating trials at the hands of skeptic and dismissive doctors. Most often, these stories include the sentiment that women were perceived to be overreacting. Studies have shown that when in pain, women face longer
1 Tressie McMillan Cottom and Tressie McMillan Cottom, “Thick: and Other Essays,” in Thick: and Other Essays (New York (N.Y.): The New Press, 2019), pp. 85-89. wait times to see a doctor than men and are less likely to be prescribed painkillers, despite studies finding that women actually feel pain more intensely than men.2 In addition, women are more likely than men to be prescribed sedatives, rather than pain medication.3 These statistics are even worse for women of color. Black women are 243% more likely to die of pregnancy or childbirthrelated issues than white women in America.4 Even well-known and influential women like Serena Williams and Beyoncé have stories that demonstrate the problem between women of color and America’s healthcare system. In an interview following the birth of her daughter, Williams described that she had to use her position as a “global superstar” in order to convince her healthcare providers that she needed treatment for a pulmonary embolism.5 Many Black women do not have such power, and are not always as successful in persuading doctors that they need help. Reflecting on her own childbirth story, Cottom said, “when the medical profession systematically denies the existence of Black women’s pain, underdiagnoses our pain, refuses to alleviate or treat our pain, healthcare marks us as incompetent bureaucratic subjects. Then it serves us accordingly.”6
2 Rachael Rettner, “Women Feel Pain More Intensely Than Men Do,” Scientific American (Scientific American, January 23, 2012), 3 Laura Kiesel, “Women and Pain: Disparities in Experience and Treatment,” Harvard Health Blog (Harvard Medical School, October 7, 2017), 4 Ibid 5 Tressie McMillan Cottom and Tressie McMillan Cottom, “Thick: and Other Essays,” in Thick: and Other Essays (New York (N.Y.): The New Press, 2019), pp. 86. 6 Ibid The statistics are staggering and the problem is obvious, but how do we even begin to address such a deep-rooted obstacle to women’s health in our country? One solution is strictly scientific: increase representation of women in scientific research. Women are dramatically underrepresented in biomedical research, meaning that we know very little about how many diseases specifically affect women.7 This is true for diseases that affect both genders, as well as diseases that only affect women. Aspects of many of these diseases such as symptoms, risk factors and drug effectiveness have historically been tested on men. Women’s pain, therefore, is being judged against the male model. Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, a Texas Tech University professor and Chief Scientific Officer at the Laura Bush Institute for Women’s Health, says it best: “we need to stop ignoring the mountain of evidence that we have that men and women are different.” ■
7 “The Surprising Reason We Lack So Much Knowledge About Women’s Health,” Forbes (Forbes Magazine, August 24, 2018). MARCH 2021
One example of this evidence comes from a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which found that women are seven times more likely to be misdiagnosed while having a heart attack. This is a shocking statistic until you consider that women experience completely different heart attack symptoms than men.8 By investing in research devoted to understanding how diseases affect women, we may start to gain a better understanding of women’s pain and — more importantly — how to alleviate it. The second solution to this problem is to simply believe women. While this is easier said than done in a patriarchal society, there are thousands of women with traumatic experiences that could’ve been avoided had they been believed. Persuading health care professionals should not be a burden that women should have to carry. This is not to say that doctors know less than patients, or that a doctor discrediting your WebMD search is discriminatory. However, when women can explain, in detail, an experience where their pain was disbelieved or mistreated, it is clear that a change needs to be made in the way that we approach healthcare for women.
8 Laura Kiesel, “Women and Pain: Disparities in Experience and Treatment,” Harvard Health Blog (Harvard Medical School, October 7, 2017). It’s not going to be an easy fix. It is going to take meaningful reforms in science, technology and education, among other areas. No change comes without awareness and conversation. In order for women to receive the healthcare that they need and deserve, we not only need to teach women that their pain is valid and real, but teach that important fact to current and future healthcare professionals as well.
Asking crucial questions is the first step in examining this problem and curating a solution. In education: why aren’t medical school students and doctors taught about the differences in male and female pain and how do we make it a priority?9 In science: who is making the decisions to fund research that excludes female pain, and how do we make sure that female voices are present within the field?
Maybe we’ll never know if giving birth or being kicked between the legs is worse. The ultimate battle of the sexes might be a hopeless fight that will go on forever, each side claiming greater struggle. Nonetheless, validating and believing women’s pain might just bring us one step closer to knowing the answer, while saving the lives and lifestyles of women all over America. ■
9 TodayShow, “Dismissed: The Health Risk of Being a Woman,” TODAY.com, accessed March 8, 2021.
