21 Real-Life Examples Of Medical Misogyny That Will Leave You Furious And Heartbroken

Earlier this month, X user @xevekiah asked: “What is a clear example of medical misogyny that you have witnessed or experienced?” The prompt immediately went viral, with thousands of women coming forward to share their personal experiences of medical emergencies being ignored or ignored.

X @xevekiah / CBS / via Twitter: @xevekiah

Here are just 21 examples that are sure to make you both angry and heartbroken:

Some posts have been edited for clarity.

1. “When I gave birth to my daughter, they had to hospitalize me for ten days because I wasn’t doing well. Every time I tried to stand up, I fainted. Once, according to my husband, I even stopped breathing. He panicked and sent a cardiologist who also worked at the same hospital to The expert friend called. The response he got was, ‘You know, sometimes our wives just want attention when they’re going through a hard time. ‘ He insisted that someone come and see what was going on. When the resident arrived, my husband said, ‘We’ll see. “He helped me stand up and I don’t remember anything after that. When I woke up, the room was filled with panicked doctors. I stopped breathing again. That’s when they realized it wasn’t ‘attention seeking.'” — @NeurographerMom

2. “My friend has been going to the doctor for over a year with worsening stomach pain and bloating. He told her to calm down and try yoga and nothing was wrong with her body. She passed out at work and was taken to the ER where they discovered stage 4 ovarian cancer.” — @StillDavy

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3. “I was in A&E for nine hours with multiple fractures in one foot and was told to walk between departments, while a man with the same broken foot was wheeled around in a wheelchair, treated and discharged hours before me, even though I arrived before him.” — @peddiepascal

4. “I was told after my gallbladder was accidentally removed that I would feel ‘absolutely excruciating pain’ if bile leaked into my abdomen. It turns out that around 1.5 liters of bile leaked into my abdomen every day and I ‘felt’ excruciating pain. They just didn’t believe me.” — @petiteJeanine

5. “A male gynecologist said it was natural to bleed nonstop throughout the year and that my periods could be normalized by having sex with a man. I was 15 and my mom was crazy.” — @basingsx

6. “Inflamed gallbladder, nearly died, was told it was just acid reflux. His partner has acid reflux. They sent a team of surgeons to check him in case it was his gallbladder.” — @Hereticalturf

7. “I had a list, but the most shocking thing was how long it took for me to be diagnosed with cancer. Because I’m a woman, 23 years old, and have a history of mental illness, I couldn’t breathe properly for months and was thought to have an anxiety disorder until they finally gave me a CT scan.” — @theobites

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8. “When I worked at a prison we had a woman who had all the classic heart attack symptoms (which the staff reported) but the supervisor said it was anxiety and told her to use her coping skills… The next morning they found her dead in solitary confinement.” — @xojayceelyn2xo

9. “My mom had cellulitis in her foot and she screamed at the slightest touch, but the ER doctor told my dad it was psychosomatic and she was just looking for opioids. She had sepsis and kidney failure and we almost lost her before another doctor helped and treated her with antibiotics.” — @QueerHercules

10. “A friend of mine complained of severe and worsening headaches during pregnancy. Doctors thought it was hormone related. The aneurysm ruptured and she died before she hit the floor.” — @MountainMcRae

11. “The only reason my hysterectomy was approved was because I have life-threatening uterine fibroids, PCOS, and endometriosis. Previously, I was told I would need permission from a male guardian or spouse and to consider counseling because I was still of ‘childbearing age.'” — @lenubienne

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12. “A doctor told my goddaughter to go home, lose weight, and start having children. Within a month, she died of advanced cervical cancer.” — @lisarobel

13. “For 18 months I’ve been told my broken spine was just period pain.” — @PCGirlCop

14. “I went to a male doctor and told me how much pain I was in, could barely move, couldn’t eat/drink, was vomiting bile, etc. He told me it was menstrual cramps and to take painkillers. Turns out my kidneys were deformed.” — @madisongrossman

15. “Uterine surgery/biopsy (which can only be described as medieval) offers no pain relief.” — @EvaKatz_

16. “I know someone who, despite having four kids and being a widow, was told she couldn’t have her fallopian tubes ligated because ‘what if you meet another man and he wants ‘real kids’? That’s both misogynistic and an insult to every non-blood related family!” — @HollieP80216260

17. “When I had a huge tumor that was killing me, they were constantly checking to see if I was pregnant before every chemo and other treatment. Basically, if I was pregnant. I wouldn’t get life-saving treatment. And would be left to die.” — @BibiBlossoms

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18. “I had heart problems and I went to the doctor and had tons of tests and the tests came back as stress/’hysterical girl’ and I was told to go for a walk and breathe. My boyfriend is now having the exact same symptoms and not one doctor has even said the word ‘stress’ to him.” — @wascaleywabbit

19. “They handed the consent form to my husband and there I was, completely conscious, not even in pain, pregnant but clearly not in labor.” — @abrar7596

20. “When my best friend had an emergency, the doctors spent 30 minutes asking her if she was sure she wasn’t pregnant and said she lied about the pain. They refused to consider the results of the tests they did. Finally, they told her mother that if she had waited just one more hour, she would have died. When her uncle had the same condition a few months later, but in a less dangerous stage, they believed him and immediately healed him.” — @polobenne

twenty one. Finally: “I have a friend who has endometriosis. Her doctor advised her to learn how to deal with it as soon as possible so she doesn’t burden her future husband.” — @LittlePark_uwu

Have you experienced medical misogyny? Let me know in the comments below or anonymously.

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