40 Outrageously Misogynistic Things Doctors Actually Said To Their Female Patients

“You’d probably be able to go off your meds if you get in a serious relationship and have children.” - this ended up with me making a complaint to the board and getting a new psychiatrist as I had just been diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder and OCD and had already told him I didn’t want children ever.

“Pregnancy will help your migraines. You should think about it.” - this ended up with me making a complain to their office and getting a new gynecologist because I’d already been very clear with her and her office that I didn't want children ever and was seeking a bilateral salpingectomy.

“Women just handle pain better so we don’t like to prescribe high level pain meds if we don’t have to.” - my medical malpractice attorney father made the complaint about this one because I was still coming out of anesthesia and wasn’t sure I’d heard correctly but he was standing right there and heard it all. That one was also a nurse, not a doctor, but still a medical professional.

We were asked if my 8 year old daughter struggled with anxiety when she was being evaluated for complications from a procedure. She was bleeding internally. Spent two weeks in the hospital, had a picc line, and a transfusion. I banned him from her case.

"You probably just have stomach flu along with your period." When I was in the ER bleeding and vomiting with debilitating cramps. Turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cyst.

"We prescribe boys codeine after a wisdom tooth extraction, but we just give the girls ibuprofen!"

Not a doctor but a nurse.

I was misdiagnosed every single time I went to ER.

"It can't hurt that bad, you just ate too much" - it was appendicitis

"stop whining, it's just a bruise" - it was a broken bone underneath the bruise

"sometimes it happens that people get dizzy" - it was labyrinthitis

I do not think any doctor ever believed me in my symptomps any time it was something more than a sore throat...

I became Deaf overnight. I had at an appt with head of the ENT department at USF. He first refused to even meet with me because he didn't want to deal with Deaf patients. Then when he finally did, said I was a neurotic woman and sent me off with a prescription for Valium.

After I told her - yes, pap smears were extremely painful for me, and requested pain medication.

She said “just have a drink before you come in.” I never did, in fact, “come in”.

A doctor told me that my chronic pain and joint issues were caused by sadness. I'd recently experienced heartbreak, and he said my physical issues were due to my feelings. It turned out to actually be Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

When I was diagnosed with auto immune thyroid, doctor said - no one knows why this happens.

Am a human being, I googled as soon as I left the clinic and on searching what leads to it, I found PTSD as one of the top 3 causes so I brought it up next time.

Just a - hey, because we discussed what could have led to this, I have PTSD, just wanted to let you know so that we can make an informed decision. I stopped talking after it but before my last word, the doctor says - oh, please don’t start about why it happened and all (as if women don’t know when to share what and when).

I replied I pay someone to talk to about it so no, am not going to discuss the details with you, just the absolutely necessary. The jerk still didn’t discuss that it could be the reason.

Also, next few times, he made sure to say something very dismissive but that was more on mental health problems are not real problems, but the above still boils my blood.

"Everyone gets headaches" - Doctor at clinic after suffering severe migraines that eventually put me in the ER multiple times.

"Are we maybe having a little bit of anxiety?" - Said in the most condescending tone by an ER nurse (male) after not being able to breathe when medications were pushed through (again, for migraines.)

"I only treat patients with real pain" - Told to me by a gastroenterologist when I was having pain in my back/side and no one could determine the cause after an MRI and an endoscopy (still have no idea what causes it. Still hurts sometimes. But if doctors don't believe me, what's the point of trying?).

Male psychiatrist who said “You don’t like your body? All women feel that way.” and dismissed my actual eating disorder.

Right after getting my Fallopian tubes removed, one of the nurses monitoring me when I came to said

"... Aww... Are you sad?"

I got them removed on purpose, because I know I don't want to have kids. The assumption was that I was going to wake up devastated at having my child-bearing abilities taken away.

At the time I was still coming off of the sedative, so I just giggled and said "no...?".

Came in to the ER for heart palpitations that left me dizzy and breathless. I told the male doctor that I started a new psych med that day, and thought I was reacting to it. Asked if it was possible to have that side effect from that med. He replied “Now listen, honey. It’s important that you go home and take your meds. I’m not giving you an excuse to go crazy”.

Experienced searing abdominal pain that made me vomit and hurt so bad I was shrieking while my husband booked it to the ER. He grabs a wheelchair and gets me to my bed while the nurses (all women) get me set up. I tell the doctor I’m on a medication for my hashimotos that doesn’t allow me to have any narcotics (as part of the intake info). He tries to offer me morphine. I explain again, while in agony (husband was moving the car), that I CANNOT take morphine. It will not work, and by the time it does, I will OD. He SENDS the nurse in with the syringe. I cover my line and say again, I will not accept morphine because my medication does not allow me to take narcotics. I was given a non-narcotic after that third objection 🙄

Same doctor also tried telling me it was just food poisoning. I pressed him if shrieking in pain is really that common that he can say it’s food poisoning after not running anything beyond a CBC panel. He cuts me off and insists, very condescendingly, “yes, just because you haven’t felt it like this doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Clear diet for 3 days, then bland diet for 2. I’ll send the nurse in to discharge you”. Found out I had a severe intestinal infection that requires antibiotics.

Can’t forget the time a male doctor diagnosed me with white-privilege when I asked for a refill of antidepressants to be able to taper off rather than suddenly stop (had to see an out of area doctor in a pinch, was trying to avoid serotonin withdrawal syndrome).

At my 6 week check up after my c section (huge hemorrhage during surgery, not that it especially matters) Dr. asked me about contraception.

I said 'abstinence for now'

He replied 'No. Not fair on husband'.

I’m late to the conversation, but when I asked for some pain relief because I was in active labour my midwife said, “I’ll get you some cocodamol. That should help”. Half an hour later I asked for something stronger and she rolled her eyes and said, “Well… I suppose we could try gas and air”. That was after I’d rung the buzzer only to have her waltz in, turn off the alarm and leave again, only to return for 20 minutes when I rang it once more.

She’d wanted to send me home. I gave birth two hours later with someone only believing that I was, in fact, in labour when my daughter’s head was visible.

I was on the table during a semi-emergency c-section. I'd used a midwife for the rest of the pregnancy but when the c-section came up I had to use the doctor that was in practice with the midwife.

I was freaking-out scared and before he cut into me he said, "Not that she's ever gonna wear a bikini, but I'll give her a nice low cut anyway." Absolute disgusting jerk.

The cut he gave me was neither nice nor low, either.

I warned my doctor I’m not great with Pap smears, she used a plastic tool (I don’t know what they’re called) to open everything up. It hurt, my muscles tensed, and the tool closed pinching me inside (I guess she hadn’t locked it open yet?)

She then told me it was my fault for ‘making it harder than it needs to be’ . Once she’d extracted the tool, we had a row about her comments, and I called her an incompetent fool.

I don’t think she cared.

My first gyno visit, he pinched my cheek and said it was nice to see a natural blonde for a change.

15 years old, first pap- male doctor said “You have birthing hips.” I was SO uncomfortable. Told my parents, my dad laughed and said “that’s a good thing.” Then I just got angry.

It's not an epileptic seizure, it's a pseudo seizure from anxiety. It's common for women at that time of the month.

Spoilers: it was indeed epilepsy. Also catamenial epilepsy is a thing that exists in reality.