In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Women’s pain, who cares?

EG

This article in the Atlantic, about how medical professionals take women’s pain significantly less seriously than men’s, is interesting. It combines a quite chilling personal story with statistics. For instance, did you know that in the US, men wait an average of 49 minutes before receiving painkiller for acute abdominal pain while women wait an average of 65 minutes? I didn’t. The author also links to this 2001 paper, “The Girl Who Cried Pain,” about systemic sexism in pain management. Apparently, even though evidence suggests that women are more sensitive to pain than men, we’re less likely to be prescribed painkillers and more likely to be prescribed, wait for it, sedatives. Because the ladies, we’re crazy, you know (pejorative association intended)–we make shit up. It’s all in our pretty little heads.

And if it’s like this for white women, well, I’d lay money it’s worse for black women. We know that according to this ABC article and this study at CHoP, black and Latino children receive pain medication significantly less frequently than their white peers reporting the same symptoms. Do we think it’s any better for black and Latino women once they reach adulthood?

There’s nothing virtuous about suffering. There’s no reason to suffer if you don’t have to. But this country is obsessed with people faking pain to get drugs. And as we all know, some of us are considered less trustworthy about our own experiences than others.

7 thoughts on Women’s pain, who cares?

  1. “Nothing virtuous about suffering” = SERIOUSLY THIS, and also could we scream this at people who complain about women in labour getting epidurals??

  3. Anecdotal evidence: while I don’t work in a hospital and have only been hospitalized for having the crazy myself, I’m dating someone who is a nurse in a hospital. There’s very serious discussions amongst the staff about whether people actually need (usually additional) pain medication or whether they’re just looking for a high. He hasn’t said this, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that concern was greater for POC.

    … Notably, he’s never referenced having to consult the DEA on whether or not he administers pain medication… so… ?

    1. I believe it. After my C-section, I was in a lot of pain and realized it was because they were giving me oxycodone, which has no effect on me. Just some weird biological quirk. It took me 36 hours to get something else. The nurse kept saying “it just wore off while you were sleeping,” or “it’s because the motrin is wearing off.” I kept saying “No, it’s not. It’s because oxy does nothing for me. I need something else.” A doctor doing rounds promised to put in an order for something else but forgot. Finally my doctor visited and when I asked “Look, should I feel differently fifteen minutes after my pain meds than I do fifteen minutes before?” said (I paraphrase) “You shouldn’t be in pain. This is bullshit. I’m giving you some dilaudid.” That worked. But when I got something that worked, I realized that I’d basically spent the first 36 hours after major abdominal surgery without pain meds, except Motrin.

      I’m not sure it was gendered in my case, though, because my stepfather had a very similar experience at a different hospital after his heart surgery.

      1. Thanks for confirming that you are in fact a complete baller. I’d have cried the entire 36 hours.

  4. YES! This drives me nuts. Had to take my boyfriend to the ER once because he spilled wax in his eye (taking a candle off a sconce to blow it out). He was in a lot of pain and asked if there were any eye drops that would help ease the pain. They gave him a prescription for NORCO. Which, I work for an ophthalmologist, so by the way, pain meds don’t help corneal abrasions. AT ALL.

    Meanwhile, I have bad endometriosis and have had to FIGHT with various gynecologists over the years to get a prescription for fucking IBUPROFEN. To be fair, several of them tried to give me something stronger but I have a family history of serious addiction issues. I’m worried of going down the same path. It’s ibuprofen. Please just give it to me so my insurance will cover it! Geez.

  5. Doctors are taught that different cultures react to pain differently. This Can be correct If a culture values stoicism very highly in an extremely generalized way, they may deny themselves pain treatment. However doctors then select based on stereotypes groups that they believe exaggerate pain. This means doctors prescribe pain medication on assumed culture, not individuals. This of course is extended to women (and race and class). So a cis-man from one culture or race or gets proper treatment, and those who are not cis-man from a different culture gets much less for the same issue. (I apologize if I did not use the gender terms properly) If you google “pain and culture” you can find research meant to improve pain treatment, but this may reinforce stereotypes of how groups of people react to pain. That is doctors using assumptions rather than the individual reports of pain. And under treating women or people by race.
    There is also the racism that doctors assume that some people, as a group are more likely to misuse prescription drugs. Doctors should trust women when they self report pain rather than describing them overly emotional (i.e. Give them sedatives instead of pain medication). A friend of mine has been experiencing this type of gender bias, and it is messed up.
    Not a doctor.

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