Ignored and dismissed, women raise voices against medical misogyny

Nine months ago, the Herald published the first articles in a wide-ranging investigation into medical misogyny, exposing the shameful cost, damage and insults inflicted on women by the institutionalisation of treating one human differently whenever they sought care and treatment.

The ingrained systemic bias is individual-based, medical process-based and government-based and our investigation prompted more than 2000 women to respond to a survey call-out: there was a national outpouring of grief and frustration, describing their feelings of being gaslit, dismissed or being told their pain was “all in their heads”.

Today, we continue the series with a three-part investigation focusing on personal accounts of medical misogyny.

Among their stories, more than 50 women with debilitating iron deficiency or anaemia said they were treated as hypochondriacs or that they had their symptoms dismissed by healthcare professionals, while others have been incorrectly admitted to mental health wards or had cancer diagnoses missed.

The stories are stark but the women, doctors and experts who have spoken out are not seeking to lay blame at the feet of clinicians, but rather to lay bare entrenched, structural problems disadvantaging women in a health system that historically evolved to reflect the needs of men.

For instance, our investigation found some of Australia’s biggest pathology providers have for years set a significantly lower benchmark for what they consider “normal” iron stores in females compared to males, leaving a huge proportion of iron-deficient women undiagnosed and untreated.

As Sydney haematologist and clinician-researcher Professor Nada Hamad told the Herald’s health editor Kate Aubusson: “The fact that there is a difference in what is considered iron-deficient between men and women is insane.”

But shining a light on such outrageous inconsistencies can right egregious wrongs: our investigation prompted the laboratory heads of pathology providers to convene an emergency meeting, and those still upholding the “sexist” practice gave assurances they would be overhauled.

But other anomalies continue unchecked: a contentious debate is playing out in clinics, laboratories and medical journals between clinicians and researchers, raising the alarm about untreated iron deficiency in women, and practitioners who don’t believe it’s an issue worth treating.

The reality is that 90 per cent of patients needing iron infusions are women and no Medicare subsidy exists. Private treatment can cost up to $700 a visit. Further, a storm is also gathering over the brevity of GP visits that work against complex health problems.

In response to questions, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said he had asked the Medical Services Advisory Committee to look at a Medicare item for iron infusions in general practice. “The Albanese government is tackling sex and gender bias in the health system and improving health outcomes, particularly for women at greater risk of poor health,” Butler said in a statement.

Medical misogyny condemns half the population to poor treatment. Our investigation and stories promoted wider awareness and hopefully created conditions for change. But the voices of women telling their stories of lived experience must surely hasten an end to the health system’s deeply embedded gender bias.

Bevan Shields sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.