What is the "Pain Gap"?

Introduction to the Gap: 

70% of chronic pain patients are biologically female yet 80% of medications are tested only on males. This is just one example of the pain gap. The pain gap is gender inequality in healthcare. Women are being misdiagnosed, mistreated, and doubted when they go to doctors.  

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More precisely, the pain gap is biased against women and how their pain is treated. Until the 1986 policy, women weren't even included in clinical studies. Medication never tested on women was given to women. Therefore, women were having side effects and were not being treated properly. On top of getting side effects from medications, some studies show that women feel more intense pain than men, yet many doctors believe women exaggerate their pain. This can lead to many problems. 

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When doctors doubt women's pain, they can misdiagnose or mistreat their pain. For example, women have different heart attack symptoms than men. If a woman comes in having a heart attack, they may tell her that she is being over dramatic and that she is fine.  This leads to her heart attack not being treated and she may not survive. There are many issues that, if not treated, are serious or fatal. Unless doctors start trusting women with their pain, many women will have medical problems far into the future. 

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What can we do about the pain gap? 

While you cannot change how people perceive your pain, you can make people aware of their bias. When you go to the doctor for surgeries or procedures set up a pain treatment plan and let the doctor know about your concerns. It's also helpful to have someone who can advocate for you if you are unable to advocate for yourself. Inform your doctors and other women you know about the pain gap so more people can help prevent it. The pain gap is bias and when more people are aware of their bias they can change it. 

But how do you identify bias? 

Bias takes many forms. In these cases it may be saying something like, "Oh, shes just being hysterical!" or "It can't hurt that bad!" But no matter what, these biases are dangerous. A doctor may spot these biases by trying to catch themselves if they think someone is exaggerating or that they are overstating their pain. Think about how you think, if you see someone in pain, don't assume that they are exaggerating their pain, trust them to know how they feel. As a patient, if your doctor is hesitant when you state your pain level or says that it can't be that bad then those are clear signs that they are being biased.​ Remember: It's okay to ask questions and advocate! It is your doctors job to listen to your needs. And you do deserve to get help.