By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
In 2021, the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada reported that endometriosis affects around 1 million people in Canada. Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects individuals with a uterus and causes extreme pain, including during menstruation, when being sexually active, and when using the washroom. Diseases like endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease have historically been overlooked by the healthcare industry, which often dismisses concerns from those who have uterine pain.
For Dr. Whitney Wood from Vancouver Island University, the days of overlooking pelvic pain are coming to a close. Wood and her research team are centring their focus on the historical dimensions of women’s health that have led to present-day gaps within healthcare systems. The team will focus on examining pelvic conditions like endometriosis and urinary tract infections from the 1960s to the 2000s.
“When clinicians and health systems focus exclusively on pregnancy and childbirth, we run the risk of overlooking many health issues that aren’t specifically tied to reproduction,” said Wood. “When these health issues — including a range of conditions tied to often chronic, feminized, and invisible pain experiences — are not a priority, gaps in care arise.”
According to Wood, “Medical practitioners and society have a long history of overlooking these pain experiences.” Harvard Health Publishing reported those who suffer from pelvic discomfort and endometriosis are often dismissed by the healthcare industry, and even told, “Don’t dwell on the pain, and don’t try to fix it.” Longstanding gender bias in the healthcare industry leads to pointing the finger at other health suspects before considering the pain those with uteruses experience. Patients have reported the pain they experience is brushed off as a “bad period” by doctors, and they leave with even more questions.
According to the McKinsey Health Institute, cisgender women “will spend an average of nine years in poor health,” which impacts their ability to “be present and positive at home, at work, [and in the] community.” Gaps in healthcare also include transgender patients who are often not provided with proper care. This is primarily due to discrimination, barriers in health systems, and a lack of understanding and knowledge from healthcare providers.
The research team is carving out information from past decades to project voices from the past using Rise Up!, an archive of digitized feminist activism. The archive details feminist movements and discussions up until the 1970s. “We are adopting a range of historical methodologies, including a close reading of medical journals, feminist periodicals, and popular magazines and newspapers published between 1970 and 2000, complemented by oral history interviews with care providers, activists, and those who have lived experience of pelvic pain,” said Wood. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research supports the project through a grant of $577,575 extending into 2028. “This funding will support on-the-ground historical research, the digitization of new historical sources, and patient-engagement activities to ensure that the histories we record reflect the priorities of folks with lived experience of pelvic pain,” shared Wood.
