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Published by Hera Fertility
Posted on
June 30 2023
Read Time
5 mins
Published by Hera Fertility
Posted on
June 30 2023
Read Time
5 mins
Many women experience pain, especially menstrual-related pain.
But that doesn’t mean it’s normal.
Historically, medical research, practices and treatments have focused predominantly on men. Women’s healthcare has even been called ‘bikini medicine,’ referring to the inaccurate belief that women’s health only differs from men’s in the parts of the body that a bikini would cover.
As a result, healthcare has traditionally taken a one-size fits all approach, and physicians have assumed they can diagnose and treat both men and women in the same way.
But this gender bias in medicine is shown to be incredibly problematic, especially when it comes to how women experience and are treated for pain.
Why women in pain suffer more
Here’s a staggering stat: when it comes to chronic pain, 70% of those it impacts are women, and yet 80% of pain studies are conducted on male mice or human men.
Women who are in pain are also more likely than their male counterparts to be prescribed sedatives rather than pain medication.
One of the very few pieces of research that looked at gender differences in the experience of pain found women tend to feel it more often and more intensely than men. While the reasons for this discrepancy haven’t been identified yet, its assumed biology and hormones play a significant role.
The dangers of normalizing women’s pain
Because so little research has been conducted specifically on women’s pain, it has largely been normalized by the medical community as an expected part of womanhood.
Studies show that female patients’ pain symptoms are less likely to be taken seriously by doctors, and women are more likely to be misdiagnosed, have their symptoms go unrecognized, or be told what they’re experiencing is psychosomatic.
Because of this, women often avoid continuing to seek help for chronic pain, assuming it’s a natural part of being female.
However, a lot of the pain women experience isn’t normal. And when the pain that is ignored is related to a reproductive health condition, like endometriosis, pelvic adhesions, or uterine fibroids, it can result in significant delays in diagnosing and treating fertility issues. This can result in years of physical and psychological health issues in women of childbearing age.
Undiagnosed fertility pain and advanced maternal age
We know that many women are choosing to start a family later in life compared to previous generations. The median age of women giving birth in the US hit 30 in 2022. Given this delay, many women who experience pain aren’t discovering the potential impact it has on their fertility until they’re older.
And it can be hard to treat some of these conditions if they aren’t diagnosed early. A 2021 study found that a delayed endometriosis diagnosis reduces the chance of pregnancy by 33%.
The hard truth is that women choosing to start a family when they are older are having to deal with the reality of declining reproductive success. By age 30, fertility in women starts to decline. Once you reach your mid-30s, this decline happens much more rapidly, and by age 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
We know maternal age is the most critical factor when it comes to successful pregnancies, and when you combine that with other fertility issues, like pain-related reproductive conditions, it makes conception even more challenging.
For women who end up needing to undergo fertility treatment, there can be even further delays as they can wait up to several months for their first consultation with a fertility clinic.
That’s why it’s critical for women to advocate for themselves and be proactive so they can take control of their reproductive health.
Introducing Hera Discovery
Hera Discovery is focused on increasing awareness about potential fertility issues and streamlining the treatment process.
The goal is to make it quick and easy to get personalized fertility insights and a compassionate care plan to help you make informed decisions about your family planning journey.
How Hera Discovery works
The first step of the Hera Discovery program involves setting up a 15-minute online intake appointment. After that, you’ll log into our digital health platform and fill out a fertility questionnaire before meeting with one of our care coordinators.
During your intake appointment, your care coordinator will discuss what lab work and medical imaging you’ll require. Our team will then work with you to find the right testing center and provide guidance on collecting any at-home samples, as well as helping to coordinate with your benefits plan. After the tests are completed, we’ll send you a personalized report via email with a detailed explanation of your results.
You’ll then have a 45-minute virtual consultation with an assigned healthcare provider to discuss your fertility history, goals and test results and go over any questions you may have. At this point, if you choose to move ahead with fertility treatment, we can then refer you to one of our fertility clinic partners.
Finally, you’ll receive ongoing help through Hera Support, where you can book additional 15-minute follow-up appointments to discuss the progress of your care plan and make changes if necessary.
If you’re interested in learning more, take a look at Hera Discovery to see how our team of fertility experts can help guide you through this process, or if you’re ready, get started today.
