I think what's more troubling is how many women I hear from, or about, who have had these same issues, but due to a lack of education on how the body works, how we (as women) work, coupled with the the pervasive lack of curiosity/research in the medical field about how to improve OUR qualities of life, it's mind-numbingly clear to me, as an advocate for healthcare reform, that women are still being treated as afterthoughts by the healthcare system at large. We're still given labels of "hysteria."

They've just changed the terminology.

There's an excellent book that every woman (hell, everyone should read) called "Complaints and Disorders" by Barbara Ehrenreich, which details the history of women and/in medicine. It's tough not to feel total outrage at how the healthcare system continues, to this day, to marginalize women, from clinical trials to their healthcare needs. Time and again I meet or hear from women who had a doctor repurpose a useless medication based on hunches and word-of-mouth from other physicians, telling them that "This drug, ZYX, seems to help women with their hot flashes and insomnia during menopause" but what remains UNsaid, mainly because physicians do not KNOW is this: watch out for the pesky side effects of the drug, including permanent brain damage and an inability to stop taking the drug because withdrawals make PMS, menopause and childbirth look like a walk in the park.

And I hear from these women because after their finished with menopause, their doctors don't know how, or won't, wean them off the medications. They ask me how to do it. I'm not a doctor so I don't give medical advice. And I don't ever have good news for them. I have to prepare them for what they already know: they are in for a kind of hell they never knew existed. But hey, the drug worked great for night sweats. I ask them if it was worth it, and I don't really expect a response because I already know.

You are indeed fortunate you've had no real terrible experiences with the healthcare system yet. Too many people are afraid to be "aggressive" because we get a modern-day "hysteria" label slapped on our charts, and guess what? They don't ever come off.

Good luck to you on your wellness journey and thanks again for sharing your story.

JA