It’s Time to Give Women’s Healthcare the Rebrand It Desperately Needs

Let’s talk about something that’s been pissing us off for years: the state of women’s healthcare. It’s 2024, and we’re still using metrics from the 1830s to measure our health. Yes – the 1830s. Let that sink in for a moment.

Remember the BMI (Body Mass Index)? That oh-so-scientific measure that doctors love to throw around? Well, let me tell you a little story about that. Back in the 1830s, a Belgian statistician named Adolphe Quetelet (who cares) decided to collect data on men’s heights and weights. Notice anything missing there? Oh right, women. Anyway, from this groundbreaking study of Belgian men, he came up with a formula that we now know as the BMI.

Now, you might be thinking, “Surely we’ve updated this since then?” Ha! Good one. Nope, we’re still using this outdated, overly simplistic measure as if it’s the holy grail of health indicators. And here’s the kicker – it was never designed with women in mind. Shocking, we know.

But the BMI is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the problems in women’s healthcare. Let’s talk about menopause and perimenopause. These natural stages of life affect every woman, yet they’re treated like some mysterious ailment that we should just suffer through in silence.

Here’s a radical idea: how about we actually educate women about what to expect during these transitions? How about we listen to women when they report symptoms instead of dismissing them as “just getting older”? Or diagnosing them with anxiety and putting them on anti-depressants versus prescribing us the hormones we so desperately need. 

And while we’re at it, let’s talk about advocating for ourselves in the doctor’s office. Ladies, it’s time to channel your inner Kim Bode and tell that doctor to shut the fuck up and listen to you. You know your body better than anyone else. If something feels off, speak up. If you’re not being heard, find a new doctor. Your health is too important to be ignored.

Now, we can already hear some of you saying, “But Kim, isn’t that a bit aggressive?” To which we say: damn right it is. And it needs to be. We’ve been polite for too long, and where has it gotten us? Still using health metrics from the 19th century, still being dismissed and underdiagnosed, still suffering in silence.

It’s time for a rebrand. Women’s healthcare needs to actually be about women. Here’s what that might look like:

1. Updated health metrics that take into account the physiological differences between men and women.
2. Comprehensive education about all stages of women’s health, from puberty to post-menopause.
3. A focus on listening to and believing women when they report symptoms.
4. Training for healthcare providers on women’s health issues, including often-overlooked conditions.
5. Empowering women to advocate for themselves in medical settings.
   
   

This isn’t just about comfort or convenience. This is about our lives. Women are consistently underdiagnosed for heart conditions, autoimmune diseases, and countless other health issues. We’re told our pain is normal, that we’re overreacting, that it’s all in our heads. Well, we’ve had enough of that bullshit.

It’s 2024, and it’s high time we demanded better—better research, better diagnostics, better treatment, and above all, better listening. Because, at the end of the day, that’s what this all comes down to—actually listening to women about their own bodies.

So ladies, the next time a doctor tries to brush off your concerns or slap a BMI label on you without considering anything else about your health, remember this: you are your own best advocate. Don’t be afraid to speak up, to demand better, to seek second opinions, or to tell that doctor where they can shove their 19th-century metrics.

It’s time to rebrand women’s healthcare. It’s time to make it actually about women. And it starts with us refusing to be silent any longer. Who’s with us?