When women and girls go to the doctors with an issue we tend to get dismissed or misdiagnosed. Luckily, I have never experienced this but many of my friends have. For years my friend complained about painful cramps in her stomach only to be told it was period symptoms when in reality it was a cyst. We get called crazy or dramatic when it comes to our own health issues. In an article Dr McNally states “There’s still this pervasive belief in the medical community that anytime a woman complains about her health, it’s either related to her hormones or all in her head” (Mieres).

The main obstacle we face with this issue is the medical community not believing us. Sadly, we cannot change how every doctor diagnoses women. When society believes every body can be treated and diagnosed the same, we end up with issues like this. A lot of problems have the same symptoms and we can’t change how a doctor perceives that symptom.  We need to start taking a stand for our health.

It’s hard to trust yourself when your whole life you have been gaslit to think every symptom is just your hormones and period. Like I said before we cannot change how doctors perceive our issues, but we can help ourselves more. There are many things we can do to learn to trust ourselves and stand our ground when it comes to our health.

To become more trusting of yourself start logging how you feel everyday. This way you can track any symptoms that may be different or new. Tracking any symptoms can help you defend yourself if they dismiss or misdiagnose you. Our bodies are all different and may react differently to sicknesses and knowing the exact symptoms can help your doctor to understand what is going on.

Tracking your symptoms can always help stand your ground when it comes to being dismissed your misdiagnosed. Having everything tracked will show that this is a serious issue. In some cases even with everything laid out we will not be listened to. When this happens we have to take things in to our own hands and do our own research. Getting a second or even third opinion from a trusted doctor is the best thing we can do when this happens. Remember to always trust your gut and listen to your body because we are the ones that know our body best. The website below called Office On Women’s Health helps women regarding an issue you are having with your health. There are groups, actives, and a wide range of resources for women. Have you had any experiences like this? To help make a change share this post with women you know.

https://www.womenshealth.gov/about-us/what-we-do

“Gaslighting in Women’s Health: No It’s Not Just in Your Head.” Katz Institute for Women’s Health, https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-womens-health/articles/gaslighting-in-womens-health.