Women's Health: Seeking Diagnosis in a Dismissive System

Send us a Comment, Question or Request, we'd love to hear from you Hannah shares her five-year journey seeking diagnosis for a chronic pain condition, highlighting the gender health gap and systemic dismissal of women's pain in healthcare. Through multiple treatments including surgery and medically induced menopause, she discusses how chronic illness has transformed her life, from using walking aids at 28 to finding community with others experiencing similar struggles.• Women weren't required to be in clinical trials until 1993, just three years before Hannah was born• Women experience nearly double the rate of adverse drug reactions compared to men, yet dosages remain the same• Hannah waited 56 weeks to see an NHS gynaecologist and was told "having a baby would fix it" despite not wanting children• Hannah experienced medically-induced menopause at age 26 which has had lasting effects on her body• Living with undiagnosed chronic pain affects mental health, causing Hannah to question if the pain is "all in her head"• Hannah founded an Instagram community called "Painfully Me" for people with undiagnosed conditions• Medical cannabis has helped manage Hannah's pain with fewer side effects than opiates, though stigma remains• Doctors suspect endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women and takes an average of 6.6 years to diagnoseIf you're suffering with chronic pain or an undiagnosed condition, know that you're not alone. You're not being dramatic, you're not imagining it, and you deserve better. Five years is too long to wait for answers.Support the show