Talking openly about whatever is ailing you is essential to finding help. But what can you do if those who are supposed to help you ignore, trivialize, or dismiss your concerns?
For many women with physical or mental health issues, seeking and receiving help remains a challenge. Having adequate funds to receive treatment does not solve the problems created by your health team’s cavalier or patronizing attitude.
Most often, the problems that get the hushing treatment pertain to chronic pain, reproductive health, and mental illness. Sadly, these are also conditions that make daily life daunting and render everything less enjoyable.
So, why exactly are people still hushing women’s health concerns in the 21st century?
Gaslighting Happens in Healthcare Too, Consciously or Not
The leading reason many women’s health issues get brushed under the carpet is medical gaslighting. It is a refusal to believe and an inclination to convince the patient they are well. It might sound melodramatic, but for women with chronic pain and gynecological conditions, this phenomenon is all too real.
A 2024 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that medical gaslighting is scarily frequent in patients complaining of vulvovaginal pain. Doctors told around 45 percent of patients that they needed to relax more. Around 39 percent felt they were crazy—such was the response!
These attitudes cause many to discontinue seeking help and endure long-term, debilitating pain.
So, what causes these problematic attitudes?
It is unreasonable to blame one culprit. It could partly be years of getting told that women are weaker and considerably more emotional. A professional may assume that the patient’s description of pain is charged with feelings and underestimate its intensity.
Another worrying trend is the disparity in health research, which is unfavorable for women at present. The Conversation reports that the National Institutes of Health used less funding for research on women’s health in the past decade.
Earlier in 2025, some reports suggested that US President Trump was considering ending the funding for the Women’s Health Initiative. This program facilitates research on ongoing challenges related to menopause, hormone therapy, and chronic diseases.
Fortunately, NPR reports that the government has rethought the funding cuts for now. Still, these events indicate that some consider research on women’s health conditions dispensable. No wonder they prefer to dismiss long-term ailments by gaslighting the concerned women.
Figuring Out Who to Blame is Complicated
In the contemporary world, medical advancements have improved the health and lifestyle of many. Previously challenging conditions like pelvic organ prolapse have now become manageable.
However, with medical innovations, some health complications have also arisen. What should one do if the products or procedures intended to cure cause unexpected side effects?
For example, some women experience incontinence for a few months after having a baby. In more severe cases, they may also face pelvic prolapse, which usually happens when vaginal walls become weak due to childbirth or aging. Medical science has a solution for this condition: a vaginal mesh that can offer support and comfort.
Unfortunately, many women experience pain and infections after mesh implantation. Should the blame be on the manufacturers for design defects or the surgeons who performed the procedure? Victims who have filed a vaginal mesh lawsuit are trying to find answers.
Typically, in such cases, the accountability rests on many shoulders. According to TruLaw, potential defendants can be companies that make the products, hospitals, and even sales representatives. Such cases require thorough investigation. The task is daunting as many people hesitate to seek counsel or desire anonymity while sharing their experiences.
Mental Health Issues in Women Still Elicit Stigma
Back in the Victorian era, most mental health issues troubling women were labeled “hysteria.” Classic short stories like The Yellow Wallpaper and movies like The Hours have shed light on just how challenging it can be for women to find help for mental health problems.
The sad part is that these issues continue to be hushed even in modern times. The reason remains essentially the same: social stigma and fear of infamy by association.
The tendency to hush mental illnesses contrasts sharply with their rising incidence, particularly among women.
The WHO reports that more women face depression than men, especially struggling at times like pregnancy and postpartum stages. The American Psychological Association notes that even conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are more common, occurring almost twice as often, among women.
Considering these circumstances, it is disturbing that women’s mental health gets ignored or trivialized. Besides social stigma, it won’t be unreasonable to blame gender biases and even mansplaining for this scenario.
Taking charge of one’s health is crucial in these stressful times. Self-care can be a hit or miss when a thousand responsibilities rest on your shoulders. Amid all this, being unable to find help for whatever is troubling you is unjust and untenable.
Perhaps it is time for the healthcare sector and the community to recognize these biases and improve health outcomes for women. It will demand working together and advocating for one’s rights, even if others try to dilute the severity of the problem.
