Throughout history, certain women’s health complaints were often diagnosed as “female hysteria”– a term implying “it’s all in her head.” When presented with unexplained neurological complaints, women are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with conversion or somatoform disorders, the modern terms for female hysteria. Research shows women are prescribed less pain medication than men after identical procedures, are less likely to be admitted to hospitals and receive stress tests when they complain of chest pain and are significantly more likely than men to be “undertreated” for pain.
