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When "Normal" Lab Results Don't Match How a Woman Feels (womensenews.org)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/feminism@lemmy.world
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Women’s symptoms are sometimes minimized as stress, aging, or “just menopause” before they’ve been fully explored. Many are also carrying heavy loads at work and at home. Many postpone their own care until symptoms interfere with daily life.

By the time they do seek help, appointments are short, and clinicians are often working within insurance restrictions and standardized protocols that leave little room to untangle a complicated history in one visit. Many arrive having already been through this cycle before: asking for answers, being told everything is normal, and quietly getting dismissed. Add the financial burden of healthcare, with or without insurance, and it’s easy to see why so many are seeking other options that will actually help make a change for them. Women are tired of walking away with no real sense of what happens next or how to proceed, feeling more stress than they started with.

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[–] 11 points 1 month ago* (10 children)

!!!! Wren, did you read my comment the in womensstuff weekly post yesterday, because this is exactly what I was referring to and how I feel every dang day:

persistent fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, weight changes, cycle changes, low libido, mood shifts, hair loss, or a general sense that they no longer feel like themselves.

And the fucking rage over the tiniest things is so hard to deal with

I mentioned having symptoms of perimenopause to my female doctor, she chuckled and said I’m too young for that. I’m fucking 42!! I’m not too young

Anyway, thank you for this article. It helps make me feel seen while struggling right now 💚

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  • [–] [S] 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    I think I remember that, but I've definitely seen it come up a few times around Lemmy, which is part of why I clicked the headline.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I very much appreciate it. It feels so terrible being dismissed when I mentioned symptoms something is wrong, even to my doctor who should be understanding. I very much appreciate the article and you 💚

    I’m glad women are talking about this kind of stuff more; perimenopause, menopause, and feeling like your doctor won’t listen to you. The ladies at work are all 5-10 years older than me and share resources on how to push back.

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    That's fantastic you have a support group at least. I'm a ways off from peri but my experiences with healthcare so far have been dismissive to downright rude. I'm not looking forward to another fight, so until then I'll do what I can to lighten that burden for everyone else.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    My biggest suggestion is to start tracking now. I started tracking my cycle in my mid 30s in a paper planner and now I have data for 7 years worth of periods that I can pull from. I track start and stop, any pain associated with my cycle, migraines, mood changes, and the rage cycles, fuck the rage cycles 😫 I can point to the data and show it’s all linked since it’s cyclical. It’s data I’m taking to my obgyn since my pcp was so dismissive.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Ugh that sucks that your doctor dismissed you like that. There's abundant evidence that perimenopause can and does start much earlier in some people. It's clear she isn't keeping up with the latest in health care for women and that's a real shame especially for a female doctor.

    Wishing you so much good luck in finding a doctor that actually listens to you <3

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    My grandmother's period stopped when she was 39. Her doc said she should take a treatment to get it back because she was too young. She totally refused and lived to be almost 90. Of course this is not medical advice of any kind, just one story.

    And the best of wishes for your current situation, and hope that everything goes as smoothly as possible for you

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    • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    It took many years for doctors to diagnose one of the autoimmune diseases I have and that is largely because they refused to listen to a 16-19 year old girl.

    I've had doctors look me in the face and tell me they refuse to treat me and I should call an ambulance for drugs.

    I've had nurses pull me to the side and tell me I must have been raped when I very clearly expressed other symptoms.

    I once had a doctor give me a bullshit diagnosis of "ulceritis" and that I just get ulcers on my body sometimes and there's nothing they can do.

    The doctor who finally listened to me and diagnosed me has my forever gratitude. I'll always remember her name. She changed my entire life for the better just by listening to me.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 1 month ago

    I know that struggle, and fortunately know the sheer fucking joy in finding someone who will actually listen to you. It should be the baseline in healthcare, it would save us all so much time and pain.

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