I saw a joke on the internet the other day saying that Man-Flu is more painful than childbirth. While some may find that funny, or sarcastic, women’s pain is no laughing matter. Research reveals that there are actually major discrepancies when it comes to how doctors treat women versus their male counterparts.
One study found that female patients are consistently LESS likely to be prescribed pain medication than men. Experts blame this blatant bias on the myth that women have a higher pain threshold, and beliefs that they exaggerate their pain. But either way, they’re being made to suffer… quite unnecessarily.
A recent TikTok video highlighting the sex bias in pain management clocked up thousands of reactions. It was mainly women who commented about how they find it, quite literally, painfully relatable. Many shared their own personal experiences of being overlooked by healthcare professionals. From receiving paracetamol after a C-section, to getting Tylenol for a shattered elbow. Some of these stories might be hard to stomach. But we have put together a list of the most startling ones, to draw attention to what one person has called a public health crisis.
#1
Watching the treatment my husband received for his vasectomy versus the way my pain was treated before, during, and after being pregnant/birth haunts me.
#2
Just remembering my friend who died from a brain aneurism after being turned away from the ER three times. Rip Lauren Buxton. You deserved better.
#3
Raise ur hand if u ever went to get something checked out and they simply blamed it on ur period!!
When researchers set out to investigate whether there is sex bias in pain management, they didn’t just look at a couple of hundred, or a few thousand case studies. They dissected data from the hospital discharge notes of more than 21,000 people with pain complaints in the US and Israeli healthcare systems.
The extensive study was carried out by experts from several Israeli universities, and an international team of researchers. The findings point to blatant bias against female patients, and show that they “are consistently less likely to receive pain medication prescriptions compared to male patients with similar complaints.”
#4
Husbands vasectomy got him twice as much oxy prescribed as my cesarean. He was told bedrest then low activity.. I was given a newborn and told to get up. 👍 this is our reality
#5
COLPOSCOPY: where they hole punch your cervix for biopsies. You bleed for days after. GETTING AN IUD: where they insert a device into your uterus. BOTH OF WHICH ARE DONE W/O SEDATION OR MEDS AFTERWARD
#6
a man in the comments said “ur period isn’t that bad” Mofo how would you know?
“The study revealed that female patients are prescribed fewer pain relief medications than male patients, even after considering the levels of pain reported and other variables such as age, medical history, and the type of complaint,” reads a press release from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “This suggests a systemic issue where women’s pain may not be taken as seriously or treated as aggressively as men’s pain.”
It further calls for “urgent policy interventions and training for healthcare professionals to address and counteract these biases, ensuring equal pain treatment for all patients.”
#7
The only way my older sister was able to get a certain medicine was by sending her husband in instead, so he claimed he had bronchitis and he got the medication she had been asking ages for
#8
I audit over 2100 randomly selected surgeries every year, I follow pre, intra and post. The study is correct. For the same procedure a male will get up to 3 pain scripts. Women 0-1. Data.
#9
I had internal bleeding, ruptured organ, I was actively dying, vomiting blood.. and they refused to give me anything more than a few endone. it lasted two days, worse than child birth. my bf had his tooth removed and he was given months supply of endone and valium.. even he noticed how bad drs treat women.
The researchers believe misconceptions about women’s pain are to blame. “Previous work has shown that individuals tend to perceive females’ pain as less intense than that of males. This perception bias has in turn been explained by a gender–pain exaggeration bias: People view females as more emotional and assume that they overreport their experienced pain compared to males,” they said.
“The literature has suggested additional stereotypes that may also explain why female patients receive less pain treatment, such as the perception of females as more capable of physically tolerating pain than males.”
#10
brought my mom to the er for INTENSE pain, they said stomach bug. week later went to diff ER, she apparently had an acute kidney infection that almost turned septic. didn’t take her seriously at all
#11
I’m having a kidney removed this year because 4 male doctors told me my pain and symptoms were all in my head. It took a massive kidney infection that almost k****d me for them to believe me.
#12
I have endometriosis, I had to fight for decent pain meds. Husband hurt his shoulder and had pills thrown at him. Wtf was that about.
A British survey of more than 110 000 women found that 50% of them felt that their pain was disregarded or overlooked. And many said their suffering (particularly related to menstrual health) was dismissed as “a natural aspect of being a woman” and therefore didn’t warrant medical attention.
“In the same survey women have reported being left unattended to bleed for hours after miscarriage and sent home with the advice of taking paracetamol, whereas others reported severe pain sustained for years due to endometriosis or fibroids but were told ‘it was all in their head’,” notes a research paper, which cited the survey.
#13
I had an ovarian cyst that burst, Dr told me it was probably just constipation.
#14
A couple weeks ago I went to the er for kidney pain as I have a small kidney that often gets stones. A man infront of me also had kidney stone symptoms. He was sent straight to the dr to be put on IV fluids to help flush his kidneys. Me however with pre existing kidney issues was sat in a waiting room for 5 hours, told to keep hydrated and come back if it gets worse. Had to ask to have my cannula removed as they forgot. He walks out, fully hydrated , given pain meds and never had to sit in the waiting room.
#15
I went to the doctor for excruciating pain in my side and trouble breathing. the doctor told me “toughen up princess, have some panadol and you’ll be okay”. I had to call an ambulance that same night
Another study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, revealed that “young female patients (aged 18–55 years) who presented to emergency departments with chest pain had a 29% longer wait time for potential heart attack evaluation compared with their male counterparts.”
Women of color were forced to wait even longer! And were less likely to be prescribed the medication they needed.
#16
The way they literally do a c section that goes through skin, muscle, fat and what ever else they go through and only give you paracetamol after
#17
and yet it’s women who have lower pain tolerances, huh??
#18
My gallbladder was so scarred and inflamed it was literally fusing to my other organs and for three years I was told “it’s probably just stress!”
The lead researcher of the Israeli study has warned that sex bias in medicine can have major consequences for female patients.
“Our research reveals a troubling bias in how women’s pain is perceived and treated in emergency care settings,” said Professor Choshen-Hillel. “This under-treatment of female patients’ pain could have serious implications for women’s health outcomes, potentially leading to longer recovery times, complications, or chronic pain conditions.”
#19
My cousin puked all day everyday for 6+ months. She threw up so much she lost 100 pounds. Anytime she went to the ER they accused her of drug seeking. She looked emaciated, they still didn’t listen.
#20
A hospital dismissed my mom’s pain as her fibromyalgia after she said it wasnt that repeatedly, they just sent her home. She ended up having a brain aneurysm!!!
#21
I wasn’t given pain medicine for my kidney stones that had me barely moving but my dad was prescribed as soon as he was diagnosed. They also tried saying it was a uti and not kidney stones for me too
There seems to be more than enough evidence, along with the posts in this listicle, to suggest that women are not treated the same as men when it comes to their health and pain management. It’s clearly an issue that clearly needs serious attention and action asap.
Have you faced discrimination as a woman when it comes to pain or illness? Let us know in the comments below…
#22
I had a heart condition that was misdiagnosed as anxiety and depression until 28yo. I have zero faith in doctors.
#23
I was in extreme pain from a kidney stone and a male doctor told me “oh it can’t hurt that bad” I asked him if he had ever had one and he said no
#24
me and my brother both had a sinus infection and I also had an ear infection as well so I was in a LOT of pain and they prescribed MY BROTHER 800MG of ibuprofen and told ME TO TAKE OTC TYLENOL.
#25
All 4 wisdom teeth > Tylenol. Cluster headache > Tylenol. Distal humerus and shattered elbow > guess.. THAT’S RIGHT!! TYLENOL
#26
I had a surgery and a male nurse didn’t give me oxygen even after the anesthesiologist said I need extra oxygen. And yes anesthesiologist was a woman. I cried and tried to breathe in bed for 3 days
#27
I was given a mint after my IUD insertion. Nothing else during before or after
#28
Major abdominal surgery and they tried to send me home w Tylenol. I fought back. It’s utterly ridiculous
#29
I pushed out an 8lb 10oz baby.
I got Tylenol.
#30
The fight I had with doctors to advocate for a 85yo woman with shingles and demintia, she thought she was having a heart attack from the pain. They were worried she’d get addicted.
Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.