{"id":3844,"date":"2026-09-20T07:05:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T12:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=3844"},"modified":"2026-09-20T07:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T12:11:14","slug":"many-women-report-being-dismissed-by-doctors-the-problems-extend-far-beyond-the-exam-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=3844","title":{"rendered":"Many Women Report Being \u201cDismissed\u201d by Doctors. The Problems Extend Far Beyond the Exam Room"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Many Women Report Being \u201cDismissed\u201d by Doctors. The Problems Extend Far Beyond the Exam Room\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Claremont\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tOne-third of women in the United States have struggled to get doctors to take their symptoms seriously, according to a new survey. And of those women, more than half said their health issues have affected their work and homelives.<\/b><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tMany Americans have inadequate access to quality healthcare, said Stephanie Marken, a researcher who worked on the survey, which was released Friday by Gallup and the organization Pivotal. But for many women, getting an appointment is \u201creally half the battle.\u201d

\n\nOnce they have seen a provider, \u201cthey\u2019re having a series of negative experiences at a much higher rate than men \u2014 things like feeling like they\u2019ve been dismissed, or that their pain has been minimized, or that they\u2019re leaving without the information that they need,\u201d said Marken, a senior partner at Gallup.

\n\nLingering health issues translate into missed opportunities at work or less time and energy for family, said Renee Wittemyer, a vice president at Pivotal, which was founded by philanthropist Melinda French Gates to advance social change for women.

\n\nThe survey results show \u201cthe barriers women face in accessing healthcare, and how often those become barriers to opportunity, keeping them from living the lives they want,\u201d Wittemyer told CNN.

\n\u2018This has been going on for centuries\u2019<\/b>

\n\nThe survey asked 5,200 adults in the United States whether they had encountered any of four negative experiences with healthcare professionals in the past five years: feeling dismissed; receiving a misdiagnosis or no diagnosis; not getting clear answers or instructions; or getting conflicting advice. (Healthcare professionals could include doctors, nurses, physician assistants or other workers in a medical setting.)

\n\nMore than half of women \u2014 51% \u2014 said yes, compared with 39% of men. The most common complaint, reported by one-third of women, was that providers minimized or dismissed their symptoms or pain.

\n\nThe disparity didn\u2019t surprise Dr. Kimi Chernoby, an ER physician in Virginia. \u201cWe have a history of gender bias and not believing women,\u201d said Chernoby, who is the chief legal officer of the FemInEM Foundation, a nonprofit that works to improve gender equity in emergency medicine. \u201cThen we have surveys like this and no one should be shocked.\u201d

\n\nA common tendency is to assume women are being dramatic or exaggerating when they describe symptoms of pain and discomfort, said Sahnah Lim, an associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine whose research focuses on women\u2019s health equity: \u201cThis has been going on for centuries.\u201d

\n\nWhen medical professionals don\u2019t heed their patients\u2019 concerns, the consequences can be frustrating, dire or even deadly.

\n\nFor instance, severe bleeding after giving birth, called postpartum hemorrhage, is one of the top causes of maternal mortality in the United States. The condition is preventable, but providers often don\u2019t heed women\u2019s initial reports of symptoms.

\n\nHealthcare providers also often miss heart attacks in women because they don\u2019t present with the telltale chest pain that men do.

\n\nIn the poll, women were far more likely than men to report fighting to have their health concerns taken seriously: 42% of women said they have had to speak up or advocate for their health, compared with 26% of men.

\n\nWhat\u2019s more, men were diagnosed faster than women \u2014 even when they had the same medical condition.\n\nChernoby noted that it can sometimes be difficult for providers to reach a diagnosis, especially for pain syndromes and mental health conditions that can\u2019t be objectively tested for.

\n\n\u201cThen it becomes a question of, \u2018Do you believe the patient in front of you?\u2019 And the default for all of us should be, \u2018Yes,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cBut unfortunately, for a myriad of reasons, including the history of medicine and innate gender bias that permeates our medical system, it\u2019s often not the case.\u201d

\nHealthcare problems ripple outward<\/b>

\n\nThe potential fallout from a misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis can be catastrophic. The repercussions can also be subtle and insidious.

\n\n\u201cWomen are experiencing a very different healthcare system than men,\u201d Marken said. \u201cThat\u2019s having a significant impact on every aspect of their lives.\u201d

\n\nBoth men and women who said a provider had minimized or dismissed their symptoms were far more likely to report that their health has kept them from doing everything they wanted to in life.

\n\nOverall, though, women more often than men said their health issues have had a negative impact on their family, social lives or career. Of female respondents, 42% said their health has limited their work in some way in the past five years.

\n\nThat finding was \u201cpretty jarring,\u201d Wittemyer said via email. \u201cJust picture your own workplace and what it would mean if four in ten of the women there felt they had to work fewer hours or couldn\u2019t pursue a promotion or new opportunity because of their health. That\u2019s the reality.\u201d

\n\nThe figure was highest among Black women (49%) and Hispanic women (45%).

\nPrepare a priority list ahead of your medical appointment<\/b>

\n\nTo the millions of women who feel that medical professionals aren\u2019t listening to them, Marken said, \u201cKeep pushing.\u201d

\n\nDr. Wendy Harpham, whose new book, \u201cClinical Communication: Finding the Best Words to Inform, Comfort and Motivate Patients,\u201d offers advice for how clinicians and patients can work together, said it helps to come to each appointment prepared with a list of questions and concerns to discuss.

\n\nWrite it on a piece of paper or your phone, with the highest priority items at the top. Think through how you\u2019ve been feeling so you can summarize your situation succinctly and efficiently in the limited time you have.

\n\n\u201cIt has to be a team effort for the doctor to get the information they need and for the patient to be heard,\u201d she said.

\n\nIf you\u2019re at an impasse with your doctor, she said, it\u2019s OK to cut ties and find someone you\u2019re more comfortable with. Chernoby concurred, urging women to trust their instincts. \u201cIf something doesn\u2019t sit right, get a second opinion,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople know their bodies. They know when something is wrong.\u201d

\n\nBut, the experts agreed, the onus shouldn\u2019t be on women alone to fight for attention in a medical system that\u2019s supposed to be taking care of them.

\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s really not their issue. It\u2019s a system issue,\u201d Lim said. \u201cThere\u2019s only so much advocacy one person can do for themselves.\u201d


\n\nContributor: Amanda Schupak \u2013 CNN Health<\/i>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many Women Report Being \u201cDismissed\u201d by Doctors. The Problems Extend Far Beyond the Exam Room One-third of women in the United States have struggled to get doctors to take their symptoms seriously, according to a new survey. And of those women, more than half said their health issues have affected their work and homelives. Many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-news-and-information"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3844"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3852,"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3844\/revisions\/3852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}