Inconclusive evidence on the perception that women seek medical care earlier for pain
One of the best known medical journals in the world has called out the tendency of physicians to dismiss women’s pain experiences without appropriately investigating and treating them. An editorial in The Lancet Rheumatology has said it is time to end this practice.
“Medical gaslighting of women’s pain has a long history. Medical gaslighting—when a patient feels that their symptoms are inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by a health-care professional—can have detrimental effects, from increasing morbidity and mortality, to symptom distress and worsening mental health. The evidence supports this notion, with women more likely to be referred to psychiatrists and psychologists, whereas men are more likely to undergo investigations for an underlying biological cause,” the editorial says.
There is inconclusive evidence, the magazine pointed out of the perception that women seek medical care earlier for pain. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 recognises that women have higher incidence of back and musculoskeletal pains and headaches as compared to men.The editorial also pointed out that globally in research subjects, women continue to be significantly underrepresented, leading to poorer understanding of the reasons for their pain and poorer management of that pain.
“It is time to start listening to women and their pain experiences. With more inclusive research, and a move towards gender responsiveness, not simply sex disaggregation, we are confident that the root causes of these disparities in people with chronic pain can be eliminated,” the editorial emphasised.
