{"id":240601,"date":"2023-11-07T00:15:09","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T00:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=240601"},"modified":"2023-11-07T00:15:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T00:15:09","slug":"women-are-waiting-longer-than-men-for-pain-to-be-diagnosed-research-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/lifestyle\/women-are-waiting-longer-than-men-for-pain-to-be-diagnosed-research-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Women are waiting longer than men for pain to be diagnosed, research finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Women are waiting longer than men for pain to be diagnosed, research has found \u2013 with less than half receiving a diagnosis within 11 months, compared to the 66 percent of men who get their pain diagnosed in the same timeframe. Additionally, more women than men (14 percent vs nine percent) still do not have a diagnosis for their pain after 12 months or longer, according to the study of over 5,000 UK adults.<\/p>\n

Three in ten of these women worryingly feel it took so long to get an answer because the healthcare professional did not take the pain seriously, or even dismissed it \u2013 but just 18 percent of men share these concerns.<\/p>\n

The research was commissioned by Nurofen, to mark the launch of its PAIN PASS tool, which helps people talk about their pain with confidence with a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n

Chloe Elliot, who waited nine years to get a diagnosis for endometriosis, said: \u201cI believe if I’d have said how I was feeling to my doctor, but I was a different gender, things would have been taken a lot more seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s why I want to urge other women to keep fighting \u2013 remember you’re not crazy, you’re not insane, your pain is real. You know your body better than anybody else. Keep fighting. Push for a diagnosis when you know something isn\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also emerged 45 percent of women who feel uncomfortable talking about their pain are worried they will be judged as a moaner \u2013\u202fcompared to just 35 percent of men.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it\u2019s not surprising that 23 percent of women haven’t even tried to seek a diagnosis for the pain they experience, compared to just 13 percent of men.<\/p>\n

The research also shows the \u201cgender pain gap\u201d has widened a year on since the pain relief brand\u2019s first Gender Pain Gap Index Report, which highlights more needs to be done to tackle unconscious gender bias in healthcare.<\/p>\n

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Last year\u2019s data showed 56 percent of women felt their pain was ignored or dismissed, compared to 49 percent of men \u2013 a gap of seven percent.<\/p>\n

And while the number of women who feel this way has dropped to 49 percent this year, just 38 percent of men now feel this way, widening the gap to 11 percent.<\/p>\n

Dr Marieke Bigg, sociologist and author of \u201cThis Won\u2019t Hurt: How Medicine Fails Women\u201d, said: \u201cIt\u2019s concerning to see that the gender pain gap has increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether this means women are becoming more vocal about the problems they face, or whether medical sexism has intensified, we need to respond to this evidence and make changes to healthcare provision.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, women\u2019s pain is often dismissed. Healthcare professionals continually misattribute women\u2019s symptoms to stress or \u201chormones\u201d, while men are more likely to be sent for a physical check \u2013 even when complaining of the same type of pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver time, this has led to women\u2019s pain being overlooked, resulting in a gender pain gap. Women are waiting longer to get a diagnosis for their pain, and do not feel empowered to push for the support they need \u2013 this is unacceptable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith initiatives like Nurofen\u2019s Gender Pain Gap Index Report, we\u2019re seeing more recognition of the issue \u2013 but we are still a long way from closing the gap. Women need to start feeling listened to and supported in getting the help they need.\u201d<\/p>\n