Student Article

Women sometimes have to wait a long time to get help for their pain. This is called the gender pain gap. It means that doctors don't always understand or treat women's pain as well as they do men's.

What the research shows

A recent report showed that more women than men feel their pain is ignored or dismissed. It takes women longer to get a diagnosis for the same types of pain. Many women feel that doctors don't listen to them or don't take their pain seriously.

Misunderstood and mislabeled

One reason for this is that doctors often think women's pain is just part of being a woman. They might say it's normal and that nothing can be done about it. But this isn't true; women deserve to have their pain treated just like men.

A history of being left out

Another problem is that medical research hasn't always included women. This means doctors don't know as much about how to treat women's pain. We need more research to understand women's health better.

Moving toward fair treatment

It's important to listen to women and take their pain seriously. This will help them get the care they need and improve their quality of life.

© Dr. Michelle Griffin / Our Media