Women across the world are facing a troubling trend in healthcare—being prescribed drugs that were never tested on women or having their concerns about conditions like uterine pain and migraines downplayed, often by male doctors. This phenomenon, known as medical misogyny, refers to the ingrained bias against women in the healthcare system and has gained increasing attention in both the U.S. and U.K.
In the U.K., the issue has prompted a parliamentary committee to take action, aiming for measurable progress over the next decade. Experts argue that the problem stems from a long-standing lack of investment in women’s health, and the solutions being debated in the U.K. could potentially serve as a model for lawmakers in the U.S.
The issue came to light in December when a committee hearing in London revealed that women with painful reproductive health conditions—such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, and heavy menstrual bleeding—are often dismissed by doctors, or told to “suck it up.” Both endometriosis and adenomyosis, which cause severe pain, infertility, and other complications, are frequently misunderstood or overlooked by the medical community.
As women in the U.K. begin to speak out about their experiences, American women, too, are recognizing that medical misogyny is a widespread issue across the Atlantic. Justina F. Avila-Rieger, a research scientist at Columbia University, noted that sexism in many aspects of American life has long been detrimental to women’s health. However, the full impact of this sexism on women’s health has only recently started to be quantified, with mounting evidence linking it to issues like dementia and chronic conditions.
In a landmark study released in December, Avila-Rieger and her colleagues found that sexism appeared to play a role in women developing dementia later in life, with Black women being the most affected. States with higher levels of “structural sexism,” like Mississippi, were found to have the highest rates of dementia in women. Another study from Florida State University found similar conclusions, showing that women in states with more entrenched sexism reported poorer overall health and greater chronic conditions as they aged.
In response to these issues, many experts agree that improving women’s healthcare requires a shift in focus, with better training for doctors being a crucial first step. A failure to correctly diagnose conditions like endometriosis is especially prevalent—on average, American women spend 11.7 years visiting doctors before receiving a correct diagnosis, compared to eight years in the U.K. and 6.7 years in Norway. Often, women’s symptoms are dismissed as psychosomatic or attributed to stress and anxiety, according to Dr. Sejal Tamakuwala, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Emory University.
Women also face additional barriers to care, such as racial and gender biases, high healthcare costs, poor insurance coverage, and limited access to specialists, particularly in rural areas. This was the experience of Atlanta resident Curtisha Johnson, who struggled for years to find proper treatment for fibroids. She saw multiple doctors who insisted on a hysterectomy, dismissing her concerns. Johnson’s frustrations led her to create her own cosmetics company, after discovering that chemicals in personal care products, such as phthalates, were linked to the growth of uterine fibroids.
The U.K. parliamentary committee also uncovered that the lack of trauma-informed protocols in gynecologic procedures often leaves women feeling retraumatized and dismissed. Experts like Dr. Tamakuwala believe that increased investment in research and prevention, as well as integrating women’s health into broader healthcare policies, is essential to closing the gap.
Despite American women spending $15 billion more on healthcare than men, they continue to face significant disparities. For example, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy nation, with particularly poor outcomes for Black women. The World Economic Forum has described women’s health as being treated like a “second-class citizen” compared to men’s health. However, addressing even one area of health, like heart disease, could have a significant economic impact. A report by the McKinsey Health Institute suggests that closing the gender gap in heart disease alone could boost the U.S. economy by $28 billion annually by 2040.
The growing conversation around medical misogyny is gaining momentum in both the U.S. and U.K., with calls for systemic change to better support women’s health. The hope is that as awareness spreads, these issues will no longer be ignored and women will receive the care and treatment they deserve.
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