We Don't Believe Women's Pain.

What are the most shocking things I’ve learned about women's suffering after writing my book?

The news about American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) new guidelines calling on doctors to take IUD insertion pain seriously is great news!
But it comes after years and years and years of women speaking up — and mostly being dismissed— about the unbelievable, debilitating pain they experience during one of the most common birth control procedures.

It wasn’t after women took their tales of excruciating pain to the Internet and onto social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit that people really started listening to women, mostly out of disbelief.

What are the five most shocking things I’ve learned about women and pain after writing #ThePainGap, an entire book on women’s pain?

1. Despite making up 70% of people who suffer from chronic pain conditions, the majority of studies continue to be fond in men and male mice. There’s even a move patriarchy! 🐁

2. Women’s pain is often dismissed as psychological. Studies prove women in pain are much more likely than men to receive prescriptions for sedatives, rather than pain medications 💊.

3. In short, women are more likely to be referred to a therapist than prescribed adequate pain management 👨‍⚕️.

4. Women wait longer on average to be seen and are more likely to be dismissed from the hospital mid-heart attacks (!).

5. We don’t believe women when they speak up about their pain, period. This is despite expecting them to have a very high threshold for pain.

And on top of all this, women continue to be excluded from research, even when the diseases primarily affect women.

Thank goodness finally for IUD relief! In the year 2025, we still cannot believe women when they speak up— the first time.

What kind of pain management for women would you like to see believed and addressed next?