Women and girls endure years of pain as their reproductive conditions are affected due to ‘medical misogyny’, according to a damning parliamentary report.
The Women and Equality Committee report found that gynecological conditions such as endometriosis and adenomyosis are treated with inadequate care due to ‘pervasive stigma’, a lack of training by healthcare professionals and ‘medical misogyny’.
The Commons Select Committee, which examined the experiences of care received by women with reproductive conditions in England, found that symptoms are often ‘normalised’ and it can take years for women to receive a diagnosis and treatment.
The substandard gynecological care cited in the report also includes routine contraceptive adjustments with IUDs, cervical exams and hysteroscopies.
The report states that women experience pain and discomfort that “disrupts every aspect of their daily lives”, including their education, careers, relationships and fertility, while their conditions worsen.
It was also found that there is a “There is a clear lack of awareness and understanding of women’s reproductive health issues among GPs” and concluded that gynecological care is not being treated as a priority.
Widespread stigma associated with gynecological and urogynecological health, a lack of education and ‘medical misogyny’ have contributed to poor awareness of these conditions.
The committee heard testimony from broadcasters Naga Munchetty and Vicky Pattison, who detailed the poor care they received while being treated for adenomyosis and premenstrual dysphoric disorder respectively.
The report calls on the government to increase funding for research into women’s reproductive health, and to commit the government’s women’s health hub model to long-term funding.
Endometriosis affects one in ten women in the UK and is caused by tissue similar to the uterine lining growing elsewhere in the body, often resulting in chronic pelvic pain and painful periods. Adenomyosis causes the uterine lining to grow into the muscle wall, again causing painful symptoms.
Sarah Owen, Labor MP for Luton North and chair of the Women and Equality Committee, said the report was a “wake-up call” for the Government and the NHS, adding: “Our research has shown that misogyny in medicine hurts women. and their conditions are undiagnosed.
“Women find their symptoms dismissed, wait years for life-changing treatment and, in too many cases, undergo trauma-inducing procedures. Meanwhile, their conditions worsen and become more difficult to treat.”
Zainab Kaleemullah, a 35-year-old civil servant, was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis in 2022, despite suffering from the painful symptoms such as heavy periods, nausea and chronic anemia associated with these diseases for a decade.
In the time before her official diagnosis, Kaleemullah found her symptoms dismissed by healthcare professionals.
“I kept going to the GP, I was misdiagnosed with depression and irritable bowel syndrome, I kind of got the impression that it was all in my head and that this was completely normal for women,” she said.
“It made me feel incredibly isolated – I had to constantly go to my GP, tell them my symptoms, but they just turned me away and didn’t take me seriously.”
Emma Cox, the CEO of Endometriosis UK, said her charity welcomed the report and its recommendations.
She added: “These recommendations, together with the passion for this issue reflected in the committee’s report, should give hope to those affected by endometriosis and menstrual problems that their voices are being heard.
“Endometriosis UK looks forward to working with governments and health services across the UK to make the report’s recommendations a reality.”
Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, said: “Millions of women and girls are suffering from heavy bleeding and severe menstrual pain that disrupts their lives, forcing them to take time off school, work or their caring responsibilities.
“Instead of getting the treatment and support they desperately need, they are often dismissed and told it is “just a period”. This is unacceptable.
“We also want better education about menstrual health in schools, so that women know when and how to seek help, and more funding for gynecological research. We must do more to ensure that women and girls are no longer held back by their periods.”
An NHS England spokesperson said: “Too often in the NHS we hear from women whose health concerns have been dismissed. That’s why we’re taking action to improve services for women, including rolling out women’s health centers across the country.
“The hubs will give thousands more women access to specialist support in the community, which will not only improve access and women’s care experience, but also help upskill healthcare professionals with a full range of staff working in one place.
“The NHS is also developing a network of women’s health champions, made up of senior leaders in each local health system, to drive improvements in women’s health.”