Re: Sex discrimination and in-range hypothyroidism

[Guest guest]

Really interesting post! I'd be interested to hear everyones views. I think

there is certainly sexism involved on some level. Take my experience for

example.. I'm a 29 year old married woman with a child who the medicals still

insist on referring to in correspondence as 'this girl'. I am always talked down

to and have been accused of 'postnatal' 'needs mental evaluation'

Its almost as though they insinuate that I am weak in mind and body! (I'd like

to see them pop a baby out with no pain relief without screaming!)

I try to take pride in my appearance and have often had the 'well you look ok'

Well thats what fake tan, make up and a smile will do for you!

I do wonder if I was a man they would actually listen to what I have to say

rather than how I look.

Also I am a very honest person and I am not ashamed of expressing myself, I

thought that this would give a full well rounded idea of what is going on so

that the Drs could think about my health issues as a whole.. not so! I think

woman are generally more open about how they 'feel' and it is all too easy to

label them as emotional.

The female drs are not any better though, its as though they feel they have a

point to prove and to show how hard they are.. almost like they are trying to

prove they have bigger d**ks than the men.

Erg!! I am not a feminist but this subject really winds me up!

What is also interesting is that when my husband is with me they treat me with

more respect (as much as you could expect) If my husband heard the way some of

them have spoke to me they wouldn't be walking now!

So YES I think there is sexual discrimination.

>

> Is there some form of sexism at play here? Are GPs, in their wisdom (?),

dismissing hypothyroid-induced complaints from women as being all in the mind,

because of your age, lack of exercise etc., because traditionally they have been

able to treat women as second class citizens and are continuing to so?

>

> Would things be different if things were the other way around - i.e. if men

were more susceptible to " in-range hypothyroidism " than women.

>

> As far as I'm aware, the TSH reference range is obtained from a mixed 50/50

gender population? Females seem to have far more problems with being hypothyroid

but in-range so should the reference ranges be different for men and women?

>

> Just wondering ...

>

> TC (Male)

>

[Guest guest]

Hi there

I am male and have experienced the same thing. They don't discriminate, they

treat everyone badly :-)

Chris

>

>

> Really interesting post! I'd be interested to hear everyones views. I think

there is certainly sexism involved on some level. Take my experience for

example.. I'm a 29 year old married woman with a child who the medicals still

insist on referring to in correspondence as 'this girl'. I am always talked down

to and have been accused of 'postnatal' 'needs mental evaluation'

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Is there some form of sexism at play here? Are GPs, in their wisdom (?),

dismissing hypothyroid-induced complaints from women as being all in the mind,

because of your age, lack of exercise etc., because traditionally they have been

able to treat women as second class citizens and are continuing to so?

>

I'd say 'yes'. It is so easy for endos/GPs to fob us women off with 'it must be

your hormones', 'maybe you're depressed' (I got this one from my GP when I burst

into tears because I felt so ill - he did TFTs though and the lab found my FTs

were very different from 18 months before (but still in range!) and did an

antibody test and found >2500!!), 'you're simply eating too much'... The only

one I haven't had so far is 'it must be the menopause' as I started on this hypo

road in my mid-20s!

I often think if this affected men as much as women the treatment would be very

different.

Cat.

[Guest guest]

There's a book on this subject which Dr Lowe mentions, called " How doctors

manipulate women " .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Male-Practice-Doctors-Manipulate-Women/dp/0809257211/ref\

=sr_1_2?s=books & ie=UTF8 & qid=1329645472 & sr=1-2

I suspect GPs also consider that it doesn't matter if women are not well enough

to work because their husbands can support them.

I have seen male patients drop in to a busy surgery and the receptionists have

fitted them in to see the doctor because they say they have to return to work.

This was when I had taken time off work myself to see the doctor.

It's an interesting question about whether women's TSH range should be

different. However, if the complications women have are because of the

interaction of other hormones, maybe what is needed are improved tests of those?

Miriam

>

> Is there some form of sexism at play here? Are GPs, in their wisdom (?),

dismissing hypothyroid-induced complaints from women as being all in the mind,

because of your age, lack of exercise etc., because traditionally they have been

able to treat women as second class citizens and are continuing to so?

>

> Would things be different if things were the other way around - i.e. if men

were more susceptible to " in-range hypothyroidism " than women.

>

> As far as I'm aware, the TSH reference range is obtained from a mixed 50/50

gender population? Females seem to have far more problems with being hypothyroid

but in-range so should the reference ranges be different for men and women?

>

> Just wondering ...

>

> TC (Male)

>

[Guest guest]

Hi there , I also believe that the TSH test ,by the way is a pituitary test not a thyroid test. was first arrived at by testing sick peoplein hospital. i have seen the this in print somewhere.! in pub med or another journal. ummm makes you think about who has the brains them or us. Angel.

[Guest guest]

Hi - I can only say that if any doc says you are 'within range' for

hypothyroidism so thinks anti-depressants are needed (when you are as sure as

you can be that you're not in fact depressed) ask for the range of the 'chemical

imbalance' to which you are being prescribed x, y or z drug and where they think

you might lie within THAT range? They cannot [justifiably, but when did they

ever have to do that!] give any meaningful answer to your question. Also many

such drugs are far more dangerous than a trial of thyroid meds and where anyone

would know if they were taking too much thyroid hormone?

Yes, I do think women are treated differently than men... it still seems to

apply across the board in many walks of life. Sadly, many women doctors have

learned to mimic the [shoddy] behaviour of their superiors and can often be

worse than men! On the other hand, there are lots of up and coming new docs who

are much better in their manner, not so with their hypthyroid knowledge though!

Ah well, one day " A change is gonna come " ! Have to believe that...:-)

Is there some form of sexism at play here? Are GPs, in their wisdom (?),

dismissing hypothyroid-induced complaints from women as being all in the mind,

because of your age, lack of exercise etc., because traditionally they have been

able to treat women as second class citizens and are continuing to so?