"Just take the pill" - The experience of women in healthcare

Sophie Richards's podcast on Working Hard

Hello everyone,

Today, I want to discuss the experience we’ve all had in healthcare regarding women’s issues. This is not to complain, but to bring awareness and help women advocate for their symptoms. In the grey zones of PCOS, endometriosis, pelvic pain, and IBS, the clinical guidelines are blurry, leaving women confused, suffering and insecure in their own bodies. I know a lot of you had similar stories. I would love to hear them - drop a comment so we can raise the profile of these issues.

I listened to Sophie Richard’s podcast on her endometriosis experience on Grace’s Working Hard podcast, and I was in tears multiple times (in the gym, which was a bit awkward) because I could connect with so much of that experience.

In this podcast, Sophie tells her story of getting diagnosed with endometriosis. Here is what really stood out and what I think we can ALL relate to:

The pill is the solution to everything

“It’s just a bit of period pain, here is the pill. You will be fine”

Sophie was made to believe that she was exaggerating her symptoms, so she thought it was normal. The doctor tells so. I was told missing your periods is a normal part of growing up, the pill will fix it, and there is nothing to worry about. 4 years later, I was piling on weight, going without a period for 6 months and seeing my face covered in acne.

In this world, periods are just something women need to put up with. No matter the symptoms, the pain, the discomfort, it just comes with the package of being a woman. We all internalise it, be silent about it and think it’s just us. But that’s no longer the truth. I am so thankful to the women’s health community for raising the bar and to all of us who have experienced this, for talking about it and raising our education and awareness, so our daughters will know if something is ‘normal’ or needs looking into. The pill, whilst an amazing anti-contraceptive, is not a treatment for all women’s issues.

It’s just a UTI

“I went to the A&E with excruciating pain and I got told it’s probably just an UTI”

Diagnosing a UTI is a simple urine test where you pee in a cup, and a stick turns a specific colour in the presence of immune cells. No assumptions made. I am not saying this doesn’t happen today, but the fact that someone assumed it was a simple UTI when she was in excruciating pain says a lot about how women are treated in emergency care. WE ARE NOT EXAGERATING - quite the opposite.

Women have a period every month, give birth and have growing boobs - we know what pain is. We have just been told to internalise, not speak up and just get on with it. This is why so many women ignore heart attack symptoms and put them down to stress.

I also completely understand the unit economics of healthcare, but why are we so reluctant to give women tests? We prefer gaslighting them about their symptoms, then going and checking if they have cysts on their ovaries. I had to get a private scan for someone to look at my ovaries to tell me they were full of cysts. I still get them done privately, because once you are diagnosed with PCOS, you don’t get them EVER.

With edometriosis, it is a bit more challenging, as the only diagnostic tool currently existing is laparoscopic surgery, which is quite invasive, but that should be presented as an option to someone who is presenting with excruciating pain.

You might not have children

“We need you to sign that we have permission to take out your ovaries”

Sophie had to be rushed into surgery because she collapsed on her bathroom floor. The doctor handed her a weaver that they can take out her ovaries if they have to. It ended up being her appendix, but do you remember when you were first told that you might struggle to have children?

I still do. I also remember the painful conversation I had to have with my now husband to tell him I might be able to give him children because of my PCOS. The scary thought of losing the man I love, not experiencing motherhood, and somehow feeling not woman enough.

Women with PCOS, endometriosis and other reproductive health challenges are always warned about the big word: infertility. That’s it - warned…what am I meant to do with that information? Is there anything I can do now to have a chance of being a mother? Does that mean I can’t conceive now, 5 years, in 10 years?

No support, no answers. You are left with the information. This is what hurts me the most and why I show up every Sunday in this newsletter. This is why I am so proud and happy to see people like Sophie and Grace raising awareness of these topics. Together, we will create answers to those questions, offer support to young women, and create a better fertility future for our daughters.

A beacon of hope

And then I learnt about inflammation and what it that does to our bodies and I managed to control my symptoms

Here it is, an answer. Sophie is now a massive advocate for an anti-inflammatory diet, and we know that PCOS, as well as endometriosis, is highly interlinked with inflammation. In all honesty, all chronic health issues have a huge inflammatory component. Our environment is constantly causing our bodies to go into inflammatory responses, and our condition is further adding fuel to the fire. I love what Sophie stands for. I will a deep dive into what an anti-inflammatory diet looks like but Sophie also has a lot of resources on it.

This is one of many answers to women’s health. How to advocate for yourself, where to get your scientifically backed data, what tests you might need, and what is considered normal or not are all things that can contribute to a better women’s health environment. The NHS is also working on it. In 2022, the NHS published the Women’s Health Strategy for England. One of the main problems to address:

“In the call for evidence public survey, 84% of respondents said that there had been instances in which they had not been listened to by healthcare professionals. We heard concerns from women about not being listened to in instances where pain is the main symptom – for example, being told that heavy and painful periods are ‘normal’ or that the woman will ‘grow out of them’.”

I know change is slow, but at least we are making it a priority. I am deeply thankful for people like Sophie, who has made her life’s mission to change things, and for Grace, who amplifies these voices.

The interview can be found here. Sophie shared a lot more nuggets of wisdom, so I would recommend listening.

See you next Sunday,

Francesca