Two weeks ago, during a presentation about innovation in women’s health, I shared a slide i often use about women’s health startups addressing taboo topics.
As I scanned the room, I could almost predict the reactions: knowing nods, slight shifts in seats, a few uncomfortable glances. It’s a familiar scene that plays out whenever we talk about stigma in healthcare.
But here’s what fascinated me: When I asked the audience to name taboo topics in women’s health, the responses were predictable – sex, menstruation, menopause. And while these are certainly important areas where stigma creates barriers to care, the reality of stigma in women’s health is far more complex and pervasive.
It shows up in unexpected places, creating invisible barriers that prevent women from seeking help, doctors from providing appropriate care, and society from acknowledging very real health challenges.
The mechanism of stigma in healthcare is particularly insidious because it creates a self-perpetuating cycle. When we don’t talk about health issues, we don’t create solutions. When we don’t create solutions, people suffer in silence. This silence reinforces the stigma, and the cycle continues.
In women’s health, this problem is amplified by historical gender bias in medicine and the persistent myth that certain types of suffering is “just part of being a woman.”
Through years of covering innovation in women’s health for Femtech Insider, I’ve built quite a list of conditions that deserve more attention and open discussion. So today, let’s explore some of them together – some might surprise you, others might feel familiar, but all of them share the weight of unnecessary stigma.
The Many Faces of Stigma in Women’s Health
Take PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), for instance. It’s often dismissed as “just bad PMS,” but anyone who has experienced or witnessed PMDD knows it’s far more severe. The condition can be truly debilitating, yet women often face skepticism from both medical professionals and their social circle. How can we expect proper diagnosis and treatment when the very existence of the condition is questioned?
Similarly, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) affects up to 1 in 10 women, yet often goes undiagnosed for years. Women’s concerns are frequently dismissed as “just irregular periods” or met with oversimplified advice to “just lose weight,” ignoring the complex hormonal nature of the condition and its wide-ranging impact on health.
Vaginismus is another condition that rarely makes it into public discourse. Despite affecting many women and causing both physical and emotional distress, it’s barely mentioned in mainstream healthcare discussions. I’ve spoken with countless women who suffered for years before even learning there was a name for their condition.
Even seemingly routine procedures carry heavy stigma. Take hysterectomies – one of the most common surgical procedures for women, yet rarely discussed openly. This silence leaves many women unprepared for both the physical and emotional aspects of recovery, often struggling to find support or even basic information about what to expect.
One of the most striking examples of healthcare stigma I’ve encountered is rectal incontinence. While urinary incontinence has started to receive more attention (though still not enough), its rectal counterpart remains deeply stigmatized, despite affecting many women, particularly after childbirth. The silence around this condition is so complete that many women don’t even know it’s a common postpartum complication.
Speaking of postpartum complications, pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects up to 50% of women who have given birth (any many others), yet remains one of the most under-discussed aspects of pelvic health. Many women don’t even know what POP is until they experience it, often suffering in silence due to embarrassment or shame.
Miscarriage, despite affecting roughly one in four pregnancies, also remains shrouded in silence. While we’re slowly starting to break this taboo, many women still feel pressured to keep their loss private, adding isolation to their grief. The lack of open discussion means many don’t know how common miscarriage is until they experience it themselves.
And then there’s gut health. Despite the prevalence of IBS in women, there’s still significant embarrassment around discussing digestive issues. Or consider migraine – a neurological condition that disproportionately affects women yet is often dismissed as “just a headache.”
While menopause has finally started getting the attention (and funding) it deserves, its predecessor perimenopause is still playing catch-up. Despite being a universal experience that every woman will go through, this transitional phase remains shrouded in silence and misconceptions. I often wonder how many women are struggling with symptoms they don’t even recognize as perimenopause simply because we’re still not having these conversations openly enough.
The stigma extends beyond physical health of course. Neurodivergence in women often goes undiagnosed because it presents differently than the male-typical patterns we’re familiar with.
The emotional and mental health aspects of women’s health also carry significant stigma. Caregiver stress or postpartum depression, despite affecting many women, often go undiscussed and untreated, partly due to societal expectations about motherhood and caring roles.
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