Medical misogyny leaves women facing years of 'needless pain', MPs warn

11 December 2024, 12:34

Women facing painful health conditions such as heavy periods and endometriosis are being dismissed by male doctors due to medical misogyny, MPs have warned.

Unconscious bias among doctors has left women in needless pain, with some conditions taking years to diagnose, the Women and Equalities Committee has said.

The committee, which set out to examine the treatment of women in the British healthcare system, found that symptoms are often “normalised” with female patients often being told to “suck it up,”

Because of this, women face pain and discomfort that "interferes with every aspect of their daily lives", disrupting their careers, education and relationships.

This has pushed many women to seek private care away from the NHS.

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MPs argued that the bias shown by doctors is coupled with the "de-prioritisation" of gynaecological care.

Their report said: "Although there are patches of progress since the women's health strategy for England published in 2022, it has been too slow.”

They branded menstrual healthcare “insufficient and inconsistent”, with treatment often arriving too late.

A number of high-profile women gave evidence for the report, including Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, who has pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder.

Speaking about the report, the Geordie Shore and I'm A Celebrity star told ITV: "My experiences when I went to discuss my symptoms were horrendous.

"For years, for five years I was dismissed, I was made to feel ashamed... for the majority of the time it was men. I think they lack an understanding and empathy towards what we're going through as women, whether that be someone suffering with PMDD, adenomyosis, endometriosis - the list is absolutely endless.

"They are not given the correct, I think, information, education to be able to treat a woman going through what those women are."

The report specifically singled out GPs, with MPs accusing surgeries of a "clear lack of awareness and understanding of women's reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners", particularly when those conditions occur in young women and girls.

Committee chairwoman Sarah Owen said: "Our inquiry has shown misogyny in medicine is leaving women in pain and their conditions undiagnosed.

"Women are finding their symptoms dismissed, are waiting years for life-changing treatment and in too many cases are being put through trauma-inducing procedures.

"All the while, their conditions worsen and become more complicated to treat.

"Up to one in three women live with heavy menstrual bleeding, one in ten have a condition such as endometriosis or adenomyosis.

"It cannot be right that despite the prevalence of these conditions, that such a lack of understanding and awareness persists.

"This issue is impacting so many women across the country from their teens through to their retirement."

Commenting on the report, Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "This report paints a sad, but unsurprising, picture of the reality facing women with reproductive health issues in this country.

"It also comes at a time when the NHS is once again facing the tension of seasonal pressures being prioritised at the expense of waiting lists and wider stability.”

An NHS England spokesperson said: "Too often in the NHS we hear of women whose health concerns have been dismissed, which is why we are taking action to improve services for women, including rolling out women's health hubs across the country.

"The hubs are giving thousands more women access to specialist support in the community which not only improves access and women's experiences of care, but also helps to upskill healthcare professionals with a full range of staff working in one place.

"The NHS is also developing a network of women's health champions made up of senior leaders in every local care system to drive forward improvements in women's health."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "It is totally unacceptable that women with reproductive conditions are not getting the care they need and that their voices are not being heard.

"That is why we will overhaul women's healthcare, placing women's equality at the heart of our agenda, and ensure women's health is never again neglected.

"We are investing an extra £26 billion in the health system and through our Plan for Change, we will get the NHS back on its feet so it delivers for all patients."