Misogyny in medicine is focusing more on what a man might WANT than what a woman NEEDS.
I NEEDED a hysterectomy and was told I wouldn’t survive pregnancy.
“Informed consent” for surgery looked like this:
“Don’t you want to be a Mom?”
“You may want BIOLOGICAL children”
“What if you meet a man who wants babies?”
“What if he leaves you because you can’t bear his children?”
“Men went their OWN babies - what if you can’t do that?”
“You will feel like less of a woman.”
Brought boyfriend in to try and change their minds. Them to him:
“Will you still love her if she’s BARREN?”
“Do you want kids?”
“What if you change your mind & want kids - will you LEAVE her?”
Him: “Save her life what I want doesn’t matter” (he understood the assignment)
The assumption through the entire process - as I got sicker and sicker - was that I should WANT to risk
... Show more...Misogyny in medicine is focusing more on what a man might WANT than what a woman NEEDS.
I NEEDED a hysterectomy and was told I wouldn’t survive pregnancy.
“Informed consent” for surgery looked like this:
“Don’t you want to be a Mom?”
“You may want BIOLOGICAL children”
“What if you meet a man who wants babies?”
“What if he leaves you because you can’t bear his children?”
“Men went their OWN babies - what if you can’t do that?”
“You will feel like less of a woman.”
Brought boyfriend in to try and change their minds. Them to him:
“Will you still love her if she’s BARREN?”
“Do you want kids?”
“What if you change your mind & want kids - will you LEAVE her?”
Him: “Save her life what I want doesn’t matter” (he understood the assignment)
The assumption through the entire process - as I got sicker and sicker - was that I should WANT to risk my life for the CHANCE to bear a child.
That if I didn’t WANT that - I would change my mind when I met the “right man”
Apparently the “man of my dreams” will be so spectacular and the love so all consuming that I will be all too happy to put my life on the line to give HIM babies.
Needless to say I found that incredibly offensive. I was dying. I was incredibly sick. I needed surgery.
This is NOT “informed consent”. This is misogynistic and patriarchal bullying.
Informed consent would have been ensuring I knew it wasn’t reversible and would mean I could never have children. Letting me know risks of complications. Risk of prolapse. Risk of early menopause
None of that was covered. It was ALL about men and babies.
I actually did have a severe post operative complication that I was woefully unprepared for because “informed consent” failed me.
We must do better. Women need autonomy over their body. Inform us. Work with us.
Don’t put the needs of a man before of our own. Don’t treat us like incubators.
We are MORE than our ability to bear children. I lost my womb at 24 and I’ve never felt like less of a woman, less of a person. I’ve never regretted it.
Medicine needs to do better
One of the worst parts was that when I ended up having a complication - I was gaslit & ignored again. Told I didn’t know my body AGAIN. I needed my boyfriend to get them to even run tests.
Now - decades later - I’m still dealing with issues from the surgery and complication.
I can never know how different things might have been had they acted faster - but I DO know I was never able to fully trust the medical profession again.
My article on this is below - and I’m working on a future one about informed consent (or lack thereof)
🧵 1/2
disabledginger.com/p/my-most-d…
#reproductiverights #reproductivehealth #prochoice #womensrights #womenshealth #misogyny #patriarchy #obgyn #hysterectomy #tuballigation #endo #endometriosis #chronicillness #mybodymychoice
#fuckthepatriarchy #ableism #discrimination
