Today, Nora and I were interviewed by Diana Castillo from KOB TV, on our role as women’s business owners, supplying access to care for other women. It was so fun getting to discuss the services we provide for this community, and our vision on finding ways to educate our community on a larger scale.

It got me thinking a bit more about gender inequality in our medical community and the historical evolution of the care that we receive.

Throughout our medical history, women’s complaints have traditionally been taken less serious. This is known as the gender bias. This has negatively impacted the care that women receive for their medical concerns. Women’s pain is more likely to be considered emotional or psychologically compared to mens, and thus, we are less likely to get a diagnosis — which often delays our treatment.

Fortunately, there have been gradual changes in our medical community, and there are more providers who advocate for treating women and conditions that are primarily seen in women. A lot of these issues affect the pelvic floor —

Pelvic pain
Urinary Incontinence
Endometriosis
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Constipation
Pain during intercourse (Dyspareunia)
Musculoskeletal changes that occur in the pregnant women and postpartum person
Peri and Post Menopausal Tissue Changes
Post Hysterectomy body changes
Tailbone pain
Post Breast Cancer treatment for mastectomy and lumpectomies

All of these diagnoses can cause serious long term issues for women if not addressed, or seriously alter one’s quality of life.

That being said, most of these issues have a plethora of conservative treatment options available. But why is it that most women do not know this? Does it have something to do with the medical gender bias that still surrounds us today?

The answer is, unfortunately — yes.

Let’s take endometriosis, for example.

Endometriosis, on average, will take 12 years after symptoms start to get a diagnosis. These patients will see, on average, 8 different doctors, before they get that diagnosis. These are 12 precious years, that if undiagnosed and not receiving treatment, can lead to increased incidences of pain and infertility.

We know that this delay in diagnosis is due to the fact that women, who have complaints of menstrual pain, digestive issues, and pelvic pain are initially not taken seriously in their ailments.

They are often shuffled around amongst clinicians, and can frequently be told it is all in their head. We hear these stories all of the time in our clinic. We had one patient tell us that her doctor told her — “Just drink a glass of wine before you have sex.” These patients often times lose trust in their doctors, and in themselves. They’re taught to question the severity of their symptoms and try to downplay them, because that is what is expected of them.

We aren’t trying to vilify doctors, but what we are trying to point out is that our medical system is inherently flawed. It is flawed because of the social structure of our country, and the difference in how we view women and men.

This is why it is so important that there are more socially aware and educated medical practitioners out there. And more importantly, this is why the general public needs to be educated on these matters too. We need to start talking about these issues, like they are normal parts of conversation.

If 6/10 women will experience pain with intercourse in their lifetimes, or if 8/10 women will experience urinary incontinence in their life time, then WHY are we embarrassed to talk about these matters?

Every single clinician needs to screen their patients for these issues, and have upfront/normal conversations with their patients about possible solutions. Because no one should have to live with these complaints, or fear embarrassment asking for help.

This is one of the cornerstones of Method Physical Therapy’s beliefs. We are here to advocate for women, and change the narrative of dealing with women’s focused diseases, illnesses, and conditions.

The second is — Education. We want to be here to service the community and educate on all of these pelvic floor topics. If anyone wants us to come speak to their groups, clubs, doctors offices, etc; please reach out to us today!