#medical sexism

[cocklessboy]

The biggest male privilege I have so far encountered is going to the doctor.

I lived as a woman for 35 years. I have a lifetime of chronic health issues including chronic pain, chronic fatigue, respiratory issues, and neurodivergence (autistic + ADHD). There's so much wrong with my body and brain that I have never dared to make a single list of it to show a doctor because I was so sure I would be sent directly to a psychologist specializing in hypochondria (sorry, "anxiety") without getting a single test done.

And I was right. Anytime I ever tried to bring up even one of my health issues, every doctor's initial reaction was, at best, to look at me with doubt. A raised eyebrow. A seemingly casual, offhand question about whether I'd ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Even female doctors!

We're not talking about super rare symptoms here either. Joint pain. Chronic joint pain since I was about 19 years old. Back pain. Trouble breathing. Allergy-like reactions to things that aren't typically allergens. Headaches. Brain fog. Severe insomnia. Sensitivity to cold and heat.

There's a lot more going on than that, but those were the things I thought I might be able to at least get some acknowledgement of. Some tests, at least. But 90% of the time I was told to go home, rest, take a few days off work, take some benzos (which they'd throw at me without hesitation), just chill out a bit, you'll be fine. Anxiety can cause all kinds of odd symptoms.

Anyone female-presenting reading this is surely nodding along. Yup, that's just how doctors are.

Except...

I started transitioning about 2.5 years ago. At this point I have a beard, male pattern baldness, a deep voice, and a flat chest. All of my doctors know that I'm trans because I still haven't managed to get all the paperwork legally changed, but when they look at me, even if they knew me as female at first, they see a man.

I knew men didn't face the same hurdles when it came to health care, but I had no idea it was this different.

The last time I saw my GP (a man, fairly young, 30s or so), I mentioned chronic pain, and he was concerned to see that it wasn't represented in my file. Previous doctors hadn't even bothered to write it down. He pushed his next appointment back to spend nearly an hour with me going through my entire body while I described every type of chronic pain I had, how long I'd had it, what causes I was aware of. He asked me if I had any theories as to why I had so much pain and looked at me with concerned expectation, hoping I might have a starting point for him. He immediately drew up referrals for pain specialists (a profession I didn't even know existed till that moment) and physical therapy. He said depending on how it goes, he may need to help me get on some degree of disability assistance from the government, since I obviously shouldn't be trying to work full-time under these circumstances.

Never a glimmer of doubt in his eye. Never did he so much as mention the word "anxiety".

There's also my psychiatrist. He diagnosed me with ADHD last year (meeting me as a man from the start, though he knew I was trans). He never doubted my symptoms or medical history. He also took my pain and sleep issues seriously from the start and has been trying to help me find medications to help both those things while I go through the long process of seeing other specialists. I've had bad reactions to almost everything I've tried, because that's what always happens. Sometimes it seems like I'm allergic to the whole world.

And then, just a few days ago, the most shocking thing happened. I'd been wondering for a while if I might have a mast cell condition like MCAS, having read a lot of informative posts by @thebibliosphere which sounded a little too relatable. Another friend suggested it might explain some of my problems, so I decided to mention it to the psychiatrist, fully prepared to laugh it off. Yeah, a friend thinks I might have it, I'm not convinced though.

His response? That's an interesting theory. It would be difficult to test for especially in this country, but that's no reason not to try treatments and see if they are helpful. He adjusted his medication recommendations immediately based on this suggestion. He's researching an elimination diet to diagnose my food sensitivities.

I casually mentioned MCAS, something routinely dismissed by doctors with female patients, and he instantly took the possibility seriously.

That's it. I've reached peak male privilege. There is nothing else that could happen that could be more insane than that.

I literally keep having to hold myself back from apologizing or hedging or trying to frame my theories as someone else's idea lest I be dismissed as a hypochondriac. I told the doctor I'd like to make a big list of every health issue I have, diagnosed and undiagnosed, every theory I've been given or come up with myself, and every medication I've tried and my reactions to it - something I've never done because I knew for a fact no doctor would take me seriously if they saw such a list all at once. He said it was a good idea and could be very helpful.

Female-presenting people are of course not going to be surprised by any of this, but in my experience, male-presenting people often are. When you've never had a doctor scoff at you, laugh at you, literally say "I won't consider that possibility until you've been cleared by a psychologist" for the most mundane of health problems, it might be hard to imagine just how demoralizing it is. How scary it becomes going to the doctor. How you can internalize the idea that you're just imagining things, making a big deal out of nothing.

Now that I'm visibly a man, all of my doctors are suddenly very concerned about the fact that I've been simply living like this for nearly four decades with no help. And I know how many women will have to go their whole lives never getting that help simply because of sexism in the medical field.

If you know a doctor, show them this story. Even if they are female. Even if they consider themselves leftists and feminists and allies. Ask them to really, truly, deep down, consider whether they really treat their male and female patients the same. Suggest that the next time they hear a valid complaint from a male patient, imagine they were a woman and consider whether you'd take it seriously. The next time they hear a frivolous-sounding complaint from a female patient, imagine they were a man and consider whether it would sound more credible.

It's hard to unlearn these biases. But it simply has to be done. I've lived both sides of this issue. And every doctor insists they treat their male and female patients the same. But some of the doctors astonished that I didn't get better care in the past are the same doctors who dismissed me before.

I'm glad I'm getting the care I need, even if it is several decades late. And I'm angry that it took so long. And I'm furious that most female-presenting people will never have this chance.

#transgender #queer #transmasc #lgbtqia+ #trans man #sexism #medical sexism #feminism #male privilege

[bea-l-zebul]

Wanna know what really grinds my gears?

When I, a physically disabled woman, talk about the intersections of being both disabled and a woman, and other, able bodied women decide that it’s perfectly fucking fine to shut me down.

I have MS if you didn’t know. Recently studies have come out about scientists wanting to explore certain hormones in pregnancy and why they cause (some) women with MS to go into remission.

All of these people were talking about a potential “breakthrough”, and while that is a possibility, I live in a country that just took away reproductive rights from women.

So forgive me if I’m not ecstatic about scientists yet-a-fucking-gain talking about using pregnancy to treat a condition that’s more common in woman.

Forgive me for pointing out the downsides.

Like seriously, someone in Australia had the fucking gall to tell me to “stop freaking out about it because you don’t live in Nazi Germany, yet”

Really Becky, cause from what I can tell the USA is one fascist dictator getting into office away from turning into the reincarnation of it. And since you used “yet” you seem to recognize that, but don’t want to acknowledge that a positive for you is a negative for other fucking women in the same situation.

I don’t want my insurance company to turn around and refuse to cover my Ocrevus because they decided that me getting knocked up is the cheaper option than covering the meds that cost approx. 69k dollars out of pocket.

I don’t want to be forced to become a handmaiden to replenish ACB’s “domestic supply of infants”

I want to be child free, and I want it to become unacceptable for any scientist or doctor to recommend fucking pregnancy as a treatment,

…but, ya know, I’m just crazy for pointing out the potential negatives should the recommendations from further studies be “get knocked up, it’s the only way” when a lot of women don’t even have a right to bodily autonomy anymore.

#tw ableism #medical sexism #MS #multiple sclerosis #intersectional feminism #feminist #feminism #disability #disabled #cripple punk #cpunk #pregnancy is not an acceptable treatment #feminists start listening to disabled women instead of telling them to shut up challenge

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRntwcrR/

-fae

#black lives matter #blm #black lives still matter #medical racism #medical sexism #medical mysogyny #mental health #schizophrenia #abelism

[fitgothgirl]

Female muscle diagrams with the breasts still left on enrage me more than they should. 🙃 We have pectoral muscles! Breasts are not muscle! Not all afab people have breasts anyway for a multitude of reasons! You're going to tear off layers of skin to view the muscle system only to leave the fatty breasts on because why? Yay tits?

Acceptable!⬆️ Stop!!!⬆️

#although still could do without the painted finger- and toenails on the left... lol #mini rant #medical sexism #feminism #mine

[radicalfacts]

radical facts - short feminist facts

#medical misogyny

Misdiagnosed & Mistreated - Misogyny & Androcentrism in Medicine

Although it is a well established scientific fact that the female body acts and reacts medically often very different than the male body, these differences get widely ignored. This widespread misogyny and androcentrism in medicine frequently gets women misdiagnosed and mistreated, which often proves deadly.

Studies found that females presenting with a heart attack were more likely to die when a male doctor treated them, compared with a female doctor.

Women are also 50% more likely to get their heart attack misdiagnosed - for their (typical to females) symptoms get seen as atypical and often dismissed; based upon only male symptoms getting seen as typical and indicative.

Female patients are also less likely to be prescribed preventative treatment after an initial attack.

Women are half as likely as men to receive pain killers after surgery.

When getting surgery, women have a 32% higher risk of dying - when operated on by a male surgeon.

They also have to wait longer to receive pain management medication in emergency rooms as well as often simply getting sedated instead of recieving pain management. No such effect is seen in male patients.

Female patients generally have to wait for significantly longer timespans to get a diagnosis. Per example, it takes typically 2.5 more years for a woman to be diagnosed with cancer and 4.5 more years for a diabetes diagnosis compared with men. In total, women were found to get diagnosed much later in more than 700 diseases compared to men.

#radical facts #medical sexism #feminist facts #medical misogyny #medicine #healthcare #healthcare system #systemic misogyny #androcentrism #female health #female reality #misogyny kills #misogyny #patriarchy #patriarchal society #androcracy #systemic inequality #male as default #female is not just “non-male” #feminism

[woodsfae]

While I was waiting for my surgeon in the exam room for my reduction pre-op appointment, I kept thinking about a different appointment with a doctor I saw years ago.

I listed my complaints with my breasts and asked for referrals to a surgeon, physical therapy, etc, to fulfill insurance requirements to get a reduction. He handwaved me off, basically. Said he'd note in my chart I had complained of back pain or smth. Later, he told me apropro of nothing that I should think about losing weight.

This surprised me because (although I know BMI is stupid, sexist, racist, and a bad healthcare tool) I always look up my BMI when I'm going to a doc (out of anxiety) and I knew I was well within the ""healthy"" range. Oh, I said, am I overweight?

No, quoth he, but I "should probably think about it anyway."

When I asked how much weight he thought I should lose he said 10-15 pounds (4.5-6.8 kgs).

So I said my breasts probably weighed 8-10 pounds (3.5-4.5 kg) and I could lose most of the weight immediately if he referred me to a surgeon for a reduction. And that not being in pain would probably let me lose the other 5-7 lbs (2-3 kgs) relatively easily.

He said forget about losing the weight, I was fine actually.

#sexism #medical sexism #misogyny #woodsfae #medical misogyny #the flattening

[spoonful116]

What it's like being a woman with a chronic illness:

Crying and screaming? You're faking

Not crying and screaming? Not really in pain

Begging for help? You just want attention

Don't ask for help? Probably wasn't that bad

Have a good day? You were faking

Have a bad day? You're acting like that for attention

#spoonie #disability #chronic disability #disabilities #spoonie life #chronic uti #disability awareness #ibs #ableism #tw sexism #tw ableism #sexism in healthcare #medical sexism #sexism #tw misogyny #misogyny #misogynistic #ableist nonsense #disabled women #chronically ill women #endometriosis #pcos #lupus #chronic disease #chronic life #chronic illness #chronic fatigue #chronic pain #actually chronically ill #chronic migraine

[pro-birth]

To varying degrees, many previous dives into the connection between birth control use and relationship problems blamed women. The assumption seemed to be that behavioral or relational problems arose because of “out-of-control” female hormones. Frustratingly, even today, women’s experience of medication-induced behavioral or health problems is sometimes chalked up to “women acting crazy” (albeit dressed up in different language).

That’s fortunately not the case with a new study published in the Journal for Divorce and Remarriage. [2] Based on a sample size of over 5,300 ever-married women, it considered divorce rates relative to a multitude of factors. These included race, economic status, education level, age at time of marriage, and ever-use of different birth control types. This wasn’t the first study to demonstrate the strain an unwanted pregnancy could place on a marriage, but it was unique in its focus on the use of various types of birth control as a factor in divorce…

…While it may be tempting to chalk up the study results to the emotional or behavioral changes many women experience on hormonal birth control, the odds ratio of divorce among couples who reported non-hormonal methods like vasectomies or condom use pointed to something more going on than just “female hormones gone awry.” And, with the highest divorce rates being associated with sterilization (which has the highest pregnancy prevention rate of all birth control methods) in both men and women, the study may have also provided a hint as to what that “something more” could be.

#birth control #fertility awareness #medical sexism #research #marriage and divorce

[stele3]

SO, in my efforts to get screened for ADHD, I have: taken a sleep study that I had to pay $400 for out of pocket, attempted to sleep with a friend’s CPAP (my insurance also doesn’t cover sleep aid devices, so I’d be paying out of pocket), taped my mouth shut every night in order to try sleeping with said CPAP, peed in a cup to take a 9-drug panel screening, had my blood drawn and tested for vitamin deficiencies, and gone to my mother to get her to fill out a questionnaire, which entailed listening to her insist that of course I don’t have ADHD, I was a perfect child who never had ANY mental health issues -- my lifelong clinical depression would like to have a word, mother -- before getting back her filled-out questionnaire that indicated those exact beliefs, an opinion that she now gets to express on my medical record.

Meanwhile, my cis male friend walked into his first appointment to get screened for ADHD and walked out with a diagnosis and meds.

#adhd #medical sexism

[radicalfeministnews]

Nature Podcast:

Menopause and women’s health: why science needs to catch up

A focus on women’s health research, and the star caught in the act of devouring a planet.

"Kerri Smith and Heidi Ledford join us to discuss two Features published in Nature looking at topics surrounding women’s health. The first looks at efforts to understand how menopause affects brain health, while the second shows how less research funding is allocated for conditions affecting women more than men.

Feature: How menopause reshapes the brain

Feature: Women’s health research lacks funding – these charts show how "

Luckily "for the sake of this conversation" they stick with "women" even though "it's an imperfect term" (it isn't except in a cultural beliefs context) (does science also use special terms and ideas that cater to religious claims like creationism instead of evolution? It shouldn't. Same for this.)

Good information.

@warriordykes (of radfemzine, for the medical sexism topic)

@radfeminist-suggestions

@radfemcoalition

#sexism #misogyny #medical sexism #medical misogyny #medicine #women's health #menopause #sex disparity #biological sex #health #healthcare #radical feminism #radical feminist news #radfem #radfems #radfems please interact #the journal nature #the nature podcast #podcast #podcasts

[cocklessboy]

Conditional Male Privilege

Not long ago I wrote up a long post about my newfound male privilege when it comes to health care which uh. Kind of broke containment.

This past week I had an experience which reminded me that no matter how much progress I make, my male privilege is still extremely conditional.

There are the obvious points like, I'm gay, and soft, and gentle, and chubby, and short, so a lot of people see me as "not a real man" even if they don't realize I'm trans.

But even in the very situation I used as an example of my privilege before (health care), that privilege can be stripped away in an instant if you get the wrong doctor.

Last week I had to see my GP for an urgent problem: I had covid. (They insisted I had to come in person, though obviously I wore a mask.) I have a lot of chronic health issues, and I wanted to try antivirals to reduce my odds of getting long covid (even though my symptoms weren't too severe). Because it was urgent, I didn't get a choice of which doctor at my clinic I would get to see. And the one they sent me to was a woman with a history of dismissing my chronic health problems and pain as "just anxiety."

I had not seen this doctor since my transition. But as I wrote in my previous post, any female-presenting readers will know what I mean when I say she "talked to me like a girl."

First off, she called me in by my deadname. She is the only doctor at this clinic who does this. Everyone else knows to call me by my real name even though it's not officially changed yet. There's a big obvious note on my file. But she called me in by my deadname (in front of the entire waiting room) and when she saw me, she didn't quickly apologize or correct herself.

I explained the issue: I have covid (they tested me and confirmed it) and I want to try antivirals because my chronic health problems (still in the process of being formally diagnosed) put me at greater risk of long covid.

And suddenly I was a child again, facing a mean lady doctor who wanted to lecture me about how I was wasting her time. She didn't scold me, didn't get angry. She just laughed. She chuckled at every concern I brought up. She raised her eyebrow. She rolled her eyes several times.

She refused to check my file. She refused to take my temperature. She kept telling me to "stop worrying so much."

I explained, calmly, rationally, that I would like to try antivirals to reduce my risk of long covid. She explained, holding back laughter, that I "wasn't that sick" and "it's not like you're at risk." She specified, "It's not like you have an autoimmune disorder or something." I countered, calmly, rationally, that in fact I was at risk, or at least there was a strong chance of me being at risk. That I had a lot of chronic health problems that have been documented for years, that one of my doctors suspects and autoimmune disorder such as MCAS (given that I have bad allergic-seeming reactions to almost everything including most medications, even antihistamines, and severe acid reflux that prevents me from taking most meds that might help me), and that while the process of getting a diagnosis might take a very long time, my symptoms ought to make it clear that I am at a higher risk than a typical person. What's more, it's the middle of summer, in a heat wave, the infection rate being reported is extremely low, and there should be no shortage of antivirals for those who want them.

Refused to check my file. Rolled her eyes. Scoffed. Repeated that I'm not that sick. That I'm not at risk. Put on her "okay, sweetie" voice and insisted that I was fine, that I just needed to "stop worrying", that "covid is mild now," that I just needed "vitamin c and a bit of rest," and that she "wasn't worried."

If I found myself with a bad cough or a fever, I could come back to her (she specified) in a few days for a check-up. I told her I already had those symptoms. I'd been suppressing the cough with menthol candies to avoid frightening the other patients and spewing germs everywhere, but I'd been kept up all night hacking up phlegm.

She raised her eyebrow and told me to take some Robitussin.

I told her I already had a fever, which was going up and down, but at its highest was high enough that adults are advised to seek medical assistance. She rolled her eyes and refused to even check my temperature.

She gave me two prescriptions for the symptoms and sent me on my way. I grabbed them at the pharmacy and looked at them closely when I got home.

One was a nasal spray. I can't use nasal sprays because of sensitivity in my nose, so that one was out immediately.

The other was pseudoephedrine (good, that's good stuff and not available OTC in this country)... combined with Loratadine. A fucking. Antihistamine.

She prescribed this to me less than five minutes after I finished explaining to her that I can't take most antihistamines.

Despite my increased confidence now that I'm on HRT, I still freeze up when faced with a hostile doctor. I have too many years of trauma (and too many autism gremlins) to be able to stand up for myself the way I should. I've tried memorizing the scripts - please write down in my file that you refused to give me this treatment and your reason why, and I would like a printed copy of that when I leave - I feel like you are treating me differently because I am transgender or because you perceive me as female and I would like that reflected in the notes for this visit - etc. But in the moment, all I can think of to say is "but... but.... but....... but I really am sick....."

And I've been masking my autistic traits and hiding my pain and illness for so long that a doctor who has already decided I'm a hypochondriac will always reply, simply: you don't look sick to me.

I wrote to the clinic asking for a written explanation for her refusal to give me antivirals, as well as a request for a different prescription because, "As I mentioned during my visit today," I couldn't take the antihistamine.

She replied by apologizing for the medication error and sending me a new prescription (pseudoephedrine + ibuprofen - you can't get pseudoephedrine on its own in this country). She did not respond to the part about refusing me antivirals.

I have booked an appointment later this week with the good doctor at this clinic, the one who takes me seriously and actually wants to help me. The one who gave me a referral for a pain doctor (something I'm still trying to get an appointment for - there's a shortage of specialists in this country). This time I'm going in prepared. I will follow up with him on my current state, and I will bring notes. I will tell him what happened with his colleague, how it made me feel, and how frustrated I am. I will ask him if there is any avenue for me to lodge a formal complaint. I may not have been able to stand up for myself in the moment, but I will not simply let this slide. It's too late for antivirals, but I will ask him to at least make sure the visit I had last week is recorded accurately in my file.

Fortunately my covid symptoms are mostly gone already and it seems I was lucky. Still, it will be some time before I am 100% sure I haven't gotten any long covid symptoms. And the fact that there was a medication readily available that could have increased my odds and I was refused it for no reason other than misogyny (doubly frustrating when directed at a trans man!) is utterly infuriating to me.

I am still better off than I once was. Most doctors DO take me more seriously now.

But my doctors will always know I'm trans, even when I get my paperwork updated.

And there will always be doctors who treat me like a woman.

And there will always be doctors who treat women like shit.

They shouldn't have talked to me that way. They should never talk to anyone that way.

#long post #transgender #queer #transmasc #trans man #misogyny #medical misogyny #medical sexism #sexism #transphobia

[doctortwhohiddles]

I think they should pass an international law that allows women who are diagnosed with endometriosis to kick any male doctors who told dismissed their pain in the nuts and tell the pain is all in their heads. Female doctors should be read the riot act.

#endometriosis #medical sexism #women reproductive health

[that-disabled-radfem]

#egg donation #lisa michele #medical sexism #medical misogyny

[woodsfae]

#ptsd #c ptsd #trauma recovery #chronic pain #endometriosis #hysterectomy #endometrial excision #meme #woodsfae #alt od #image id #described #medical sexism

[texas-bbq-pringles]

actually yk what i'm doing a poll

people who menstruate (or used to) do you feel that if you needed to get anything related to your period looked into and treated, you could trust a dr to actually do that?

THIS POST IS INCLUSIVE OF ANY TRANS OR NON BINARY PERSON WHO DOES HAVE A PERIOD OR USED TO, TRANSPHOBES FUCK OFF

#cw periods #cw medical sexism #periods #polls #medical sexism #i have a feeling i know what people are gonna say i'd just like to see if my hunch is right #feel free to rb for sample size or not- i'm not ur boss or anything #also if the answer is no i am sending you hugs 🫂

[pro-birth]

A fun way to find out if someone’s comment on pregnancy is sexist/malinformed is to replace “pregnancy” or “birth” with “menstruation.” If it comes off as harmful or misogynistic, then it is.

#ranting #birth justice #medical sexism