Vicky Pattison: Medical misogyny meant ‘for five years I was dismissed, I was made to feel ashamed’

"For years, for five years I was dismissed, I was made to feel ashamed for the majority of the time it was men"

Her comments come after a report by British MPs was published and found that women's health concerns have been dismissed due to "medical misogyny", "pervasive stigma" and a lack of education surrounding these types of conditions.

In response to this being published, Vicky spoke of the ‘stigma’ around women seeking help for painful disorders, and said she believes there is a lack of education surrounding these conditions experienced by millions of women across the globe.

Vicky went on to reveal that she was disregarded by medical professionals as having premenstrual syndrome and that it took so much time and private care to receive a proper diagnosis of PMDD.

“My experiences when I went to discuss my symptoms were horrendous.

“For years, for five years I was dismissed, I was made to feel ashamed for the majority of the time it was men.

“I think they lack an understanding and empathy towards what we’re going through as women, whether that be someone suffering with PMDD, adenomyosis, endometriosis - the list is absolutely endless.

“They are not given the correct, I think, information, education to be able to treat a woman going through what those women are.”

She went on to say that her condition means she suffers from “aches and pains, exhaustion, cramps” and things that affect her mental health, like “crippling anxiety, mood swings, erratic behaviour, feelings of hopelessness, depressions, a genuine belief that the world would be a better place without you in it.”

Acknowledging her incredibly ‘privileged’ position’, with financial stability and financial stability, Pattison said there are “thousands, if not millions of people out there, women who aren’t getting the same opportunities I did and this report is a step in the right direction.”

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