Too often, women must bear a double burden when receiving healthcare: the pain and discomfort of a sometimes-invasive procedure, and the medical gaslighting that follows, often in some form of “it’s not that bad”. As Dr. Christine Henneberg argues in this The New York Times opinion piece:
“When a woman’s doctor leads her to believe that IUD insertion won’t hurt, then downplays the pain she feels, that woman is less likely to trust her doctor with other aspects of her reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth. The consequences are particularly damaging for patients who may already have reason to distrust the health care system….
By and large, I don’t hear my patients asking for pain-free IUD insertions. I hear them asking for their voices to be heard and believed. And it’s not only doctors who need to listen, but also the insurers, administrators, and policymakers controlling the flow of health care dollars.”
It’s high time for those of us in the #womenshealth field to find better solutions to address women’s pain and discomfort, but in the meantime, we must believe them when they express it.
