The Social Media Reckoning Over Medical Misogyny’, And What Patients Can Do About It

For thousands of women sharing their stories on social media, the pattern feels painfully familiar: symptoms minimized, pain brushed off, and serious conditions dismissed as stress or anxiety — sometimes for years. The trend, doctors say, reflects a much deeper problem inside modern healthcare, with real consequences for women’s health and lives.

Medical misogyny, as doctors describe it, refers to the systemic dismissal, undertreatment, and misinterpretation of women’s symptoms compared to men’s.

“The healthcare system has old societal roots that have a patriarchal assumption (men know best) about a woman’s body,” says Precious Barnes, a concierge physician with Bespoke Concierge MD who specializes in women’s care. “This runs under the antiquated thoughts that women at baseline are ‘hysterical’, therefore they have a tendency to exaggerate their symptoms. This manner of thinking has led to women being undertreated or given less aggressive treatment compared to their male counterparts, in addition to women experiencing harassment and mistreatment by medical staff.”

The issue spans generations and specialties. Psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman calls it “a deadly problem that is occurring ever more frequently,” pointing to structural pressures in medicine and unconscious bias.

“Greedy insurance companies, hospitals and clinics are giving doctors less time to see patients,” she says. In that short time frame, judgments are snap.

“Some doctors have low tolerance for complaining’ women,” Lieberman says. On the other side of the coin, “some women get nervous when they go to see a doctor (especially male doctors) and this makes it more difficult for them to describe their symptoms.”

But nervousness isn’t the only reason women may not seem to be describing their symptoms well. Barnes points out that women’s symptoms often don’t match textbook presentations developed based on male bodies.

Women may report “vague symptoms such as dizziness or a feeling of wrongness in their body,” which require deeper questioning rather than dismissal, Barnes says. “These symptoms should not be swept under the proverbial rug and labeled as anxiety. What should happen is a thorough medical history and exam should be completed.”

The impact is especially pronounced during critical life stages. Barnes notes that medical misogyny is especially common in younger post-partum patients in the U.S., where the maternal mortality rate is significantly higher than in other developed countries. The next most common group to experience it is post-menopausal women.

“Many post-menopausal women present to the hospital with atypical chest pain which turns out to be a heart attack, but their symptoms are dismissed as anxiety’ and not properly worked up,” Barnes says.

There are some conditions women frequently wait years to see correctly diagnosed, much less treated. OB/GYN and endometriosis excision surgeon Dr. Iris Kerin Orbuch wasn’t diagnosed with endometriosis until age 48, after years of medical gaslighting, despite the fact that the condition affects some 1 in 9 women. She has since founded the Iris Wings Sanctuary For Endometriosis Surgery and Wellness and authored “Beating Endo: How to Reclaim Your Life From Endometriosis.”

“The very first step is to believe in yourself and trust your gut. No one knows your body better than you do, and your intuition matters. Sometimes you have to keep advocating for yourself and keep pounding the pavement until you find the doctor who truly listens and can help you,” Kerin Orbuch says.

“Specifically for endometriosis, I strongly recommend finding an endometriosis specialist (not self-proclaimed, rather has completed a Minimally Invasive Fellowship), rather than a general OB-GYN,” she says. “Most general OB/GYNS don’t understand that endometriosis is a systemic disease and can cause any of the following symptoms: pelvic pain any time of the month, painful periods, painful sex, heavy periods, ovulatory pain, infertility, constipation, diarrhea, painful bowel movements, bloating, urinary urgency, urinary frequency, painful urination, and fatigue.”

Michelle Sands, a naturopathic physician focused on women’s hormone health and author of “Hormone Harmony Over 35,” points to research showing that “women wait an average of four years and see up to seven doctors before receiving an accurate diagnosis for many chronic or hormone-related conditions. Up to 90% of menopausal women report symptoms, yet fewer than 5% ever receive evidence-based treatment like hormone therapy.”

She urges women to advocate for themselves with clarity and data, reminding them, “Women are not difficult’ for advocating. They’re informed.”

For patients who feel unheard, preparation and persistence are key. Like Sands, OB-GYN Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, author of “The Birth Book: An OB-GYN’s Guide to Demystifying Labor and Delivery,” also encourages specificity and documentation. She suggests describing pain in concrete terms and asking physicians to note declined tests or referrals in the medical record.

“Instead of ‘I feel bad,’ say ‘I’m experiencing debilitating fatigue that prevents me from working.’ Instead of ‘it hurts,’ say ‘the pain is 8 out of 10, wakes me from sleep, and isn’t relieved by over-the-counter medication’,” Lincoln says. She recommends tracking symptoms, including frequency, duration and severity, to help paint a better picture for your doctor and spot patterns.

“If you feel you are being dismissed or your concerns minimized, requesting documentation of your concerns can be a powerful way to advocate for yourself. Ask your doctor to document in your chart that you requested specific testing or a referral and that they declined, along with their reasoning. This single request can often change the conversation,” Lincoln says. If not, she says you can go up the chain to a clinic manager or patient advocate to document what happened, potentially helping not only yourself but the patients who come after you, or you can seek a second opinion.

“You are the expert on your body,” she says, adding that persistence can be lifesaving: “Women have suffered for decades with endometriosis, autoimmune conditions, and chronic pain because they were told it was in their head.”

Kerin Orbuch wants women to know that it’s “never too late to be diagnosed.”

“There is always time for a new beginning, a beginning where you reclaim your life, live without pain, and learn to trust yourself and your intuition again,” she says. “My hope is that patients are diagnosed earlier, rather than in their 40s like I was. But no matter when the diagnosis comes, the message remains the same: trust yourself and your intuition. If something feels wrong, investigate it, advocate for yourself, and find the right specialist.”