Every day you see another news story or see a story of a woman who has been struggling with her health only to be overlooked or misdiagnosed by medical professionals.
It is an unfortunate fact that in a lot of countries, women have more trouble than men being taken seriously or getting timely diagnoses for conditions.
For example, women a 50% more likely to have a missed diagnosis of heart disease. Women are also 30% more likely to have symptoms of a stroke misdiagnosed as something else.
Women have also underprescribed pain medication as their symptoms are often put down to being emotional
Why is this the case?
There are many causes of the difference in medical care between men and women. In some cases, symptoms for certain conditions such as heart attacks differ between genders, and med students are usually taught the symptoms that men suffer from. This means that women’s symptoms are usually put down as something else. Often, many symptoms are put down as being caused by ‘women’s problems’, meaning that they are not taken seriously until it is too late.
What can you do?
Until the situation gets better, there are a number of things you can do to push for better care and outcomes for yourself. If you think that your doctor has committed malpractice or has been negligent, then you should consult a medical malpractice attorney to help you take your complaint further. These include:
Go with your gut – if you feel that something is wrong, or you don’t think that your doctor is giving your concerns the warranted attention then don’t be forced into staying quiet.
Keep detailed records – recording the details of your symptoms and doctor’s visits can help you to keep a clear view of your issues in your mind and you’ll be better able to get a good overview of your illness from your doctor.
Prepare before appointments – it’s easy to get sidetracked in medical appointments and forget to mention certain things. Write down everything in advance that you want to go through and questions that you want to ask.
Question treatment options – be clear with your doctor about why they are taking the route that they are or why they are prescribing certain drugs. What is the timeline for trying something else if the initial treatment fails? Having a roadmap for diagnosis and treatment is important to keep pushing forward.
Seek another opinion – if you feel as if you aren’t being taken seriously, don’t be afraid to seek out a second opinion or even a third. Studies have shown that it can take women years to get a diagnosis and this needs to change.
Final thoughts
Women are finding that they are having to advocate for their care much more than ever before in order to be taken seriously. If you feel that your issues aren’t being considered or that there is something wrong, trust your instincts and keep pushing until you find a doctor that will take your health concerns seriously.