Exclusion, neglect, medical misogyny, and bias are just a few words that describe the historical attitudes and treatment of women’s health. This ongoing pattern has resulted in inadequate care, leading to many women experiencing misdiagnoses or underdiagnoses. Furthermore, the lack of research and effective treatment has fostered a general sense of mistrust and isolation among women, who often feel that doctors are not listening to them or that they are being prescribed medications with insufficient research to support their use.
It is vital we spread awareness of what exactly women go through when seeking medical treatment; it is 2025 and time people realise that women’s health matters just as much men’s. Problems surrounding endometriosis and adenomyosis. These conditions are often normalised or dismissed by doctors despite the severe symptoms they cause.
Patients frequently experience extreme and prolonged menstruation, chronic pelvic pain that affects daily activities, and fertility issues. This can also lead to depression and anxiety stemming from both the dismissal by doctors and the ongoing chronic pain. Needless to say, endometriosis and adenomyosis are deeply complex conditions with a wide range of effects on women’s physical, mental, and reproductive health.
However, even with these intense symptoms affecting 1 in 10 women, many doctors consistently ignore and refuse to provide proper care and attention. The issue is dismissed by claiming it is a normal part of menstruation which then leads to diagnostic delays averaging 7–10 years. What’s more, there is extreme underfunding and a lack of research into these conditions.
Many doctors consistently ignore and refuse to provide proper care and attention
Indeed, the funding that goes towards research in women’s health generally is profoundly disproportionately low compared to male-dominant conditions with similar prevalence. The neglect and misogyny we witness today has deep historical roots. Women were excluded from clinical trials until the 1990s, with men being considered the standard in research and testing.
This led to treatments that do not necessarily align with female physiology, and we still observe the consequences of this today. Additionally, the term “hysteria” originates from the Greek word for uterus, reflecting the belief that women’s emotional and physical ailments stemmed from a wandering womb. This myth has shaped centuries of dismissive attitudes toward women’s health.
It is glaringly obvious from everything covered that women’s health is still a low priority. Not acknowledging this or the feelings of women has and will continue to diminish the progression of women’s rights. If people can’t understand women’s bodies, then women will go on feeling undervalued and misunderstood by the healthcare industry, leading to even more mental and physical issues.
Although there is a glimmer of light as a result: there has been a rise in advocacy for pushing curricula that will treat menstrual health as a main subject rather than a specialty. This will increase awareness and understanding. Additionally, there have been calls for immediate changes from the UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee, demanding better training for doctors, increased funding for reproductive health, and more inclusion in research.
We can only hope that people in power will listen to women’s voices and realise that our bodies are important and we deserve to feel safe and understood when it comes to our health.