How Medical Misogyny Has Shaped Menstrual Health
By: Chandana Kodavatiganti // March 2026
Think about the last time you went to the doctor. Maybe they asked when your last period was or whether your cycle had been regular, but did anyone ever ask what it actually felt like? Did anyone ask if the cramps were so intense you could barely get through the day, or if your bleeding made even simple tasks a struggle? For so many people, those questions are never asked, and that absence says a lot. It reflects a history of what has been called medical misogyny, where menstrual experiences have been overlooked, minimized, or misunderstood.
For a long time, menstruation was framed as more than just a normal bodily process. It the nineteenth century, some doctors and psychiatrists suggested that women could become mentally unstable during their periods (Ford et al., 2003). These ideas were shaped more by
societal assumptions than by science and influenced how medicine responded to women’s bodies. Medicine has moved on from that extreme thinking, but its echoes remain. Even now, people’s experiences of pain, heavy bleeding, and other reproductive symptoms are still often overlooked.
The consequences of that dismissal are long-lasting. According to the World Health Organization, it now takes four to twelve years on average to receive a diagnosis for conditions like endometriosis. This delay represents years of living with pain, struggling through school or work, and carrying the burden of not being believed. Zainab Kaleemullah, a thirty-five-year-old civil servant, experienced heavy periods, nausea, and chronic anemia for more than ten years before she was finally diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis in 2022. During that time, she was told her pain was normal or misdiagnosed with conditions such as depression or irritable bowel syndrome, leaving her isolated even as her symptoms worsened (Thomas, 2024).
Her story illustrates the real impact behind these statistics and calls for a new perspective. Changing the conversation about menstruation is not just about health. It is about dignity and empowerment. Menstruation is natural, and it deserves attention, respect, and informed care. Challenging outdated ideas that frame women as weak or unstable allows these experiences to be recognized for what they really are, a source of strength, self-awareness, and resilience. It is a reminder that our voices matter. You matter. Period.
Sources:
Ford, Andrea, Jessica Campbell, and Katie F.M. Marwick. The Medicalisation of Menstruation: A
Double‑Edged Sword. Wellcome Open Research, 25 Oct.
2025,doi:https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.24017.2. PubMed Central,
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12553977
Endometriosis. World Health Organization, 15 Oct. 2025,
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis