It’s been 9 years since Lisa’s diagnosis

Depression: Women are more likely to walk out of the doctor’s office without a diagnosis. Medicine was created by men and by men, so women continue to lose out medically. What can we do about it? That was the fodder for discussion on the podcast today Mouse talk. They talk to Lisa, who had to wait nine years for a diagnosis.

In Mouse talk Esmee Dirks and Benjamin de Bruijn examine the enduring file each week.

Mouse talk about inequality in medicine

Dirks and De Bruijn first speak to reporter Robbert ter Weijden. He immerses himself in this subject because he wonders about it so much. “For centuries, we have really only studied man. The science we have now is based on ancient science, all based on men. The medical knowledge we have now is based on the male body. That’s definitely stupid.

Although more and more women are taking part in studies these days, it wasn’t always like that. “The proportion of women in such studies is even smaller, much smaller than the proportion of men. The argument is often made that women have hormonal fluctuations and don’t know if it affects the research results. Let’s face it: men have hormonal imbalances too, and they can affect the results. But that’s not the point.”

Lisa walked around with chronic pain for nine years

According to van der Weyden, 80 percent of people walking around with something that has no explanation (yet) are women. Lisa was one of those women over the years. “The pain started nine years ago,” he says on the podcast. “Then it was mainly around my ovulation and periods. It’s been going on for about five or six years now, really.

The doctors could not help her further. She kept going to the GP, was referred to a gynecologist a few times and ended up in the emergency department several times. She even showed up at the doctor’s door thrice in a week. “Every time you get the same questions. Could you be pregnant? Do you have a sexually transmitted disease? What about your gut? Do you have a bladder infection? I don’t take it seriously.

She was constantly told to take an STI or pregnancy test and take paracetamol. But nine years later she was finally diagnosed: endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women. Lisa is pregnant and not worried about that at the moment. “Endometriosis grows in a cycle, and because you don’t have a cycle because of your pregnancy, it doesn’t spread and get triggered.” Only now does she realize how much chronic pain has affected her life. “It’s only now that you notice how much energy you have and that you’re not constantly thinking about the pain.”

According to Lisa, there are a few remedies that can provide relief for endometriosis. “There are artificial options. Once I get an official diagnosis, I may opt for a prosthetic replacement. Very little research has been done on the long-term effects.

To avoid situations like hers in the future, according to Lisa, GPs should pay more attention to menstruation. Where are you in your cycle? What pain do you have when you menstruate?” She never even made that connection. My periods are always painful. You don’t talk about it. I never spoke about it to my mother, friends or sisters. How painful normal is and when it’s not normal.

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Inequality reigns in the doctor’s office: Lisa was diagnosed only after 9 years

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