E Medicine finally agrees. I received a new diagnosis. I am now a woman over 40. Whether it’s circulatory problems or a sore ankle, whether it’s a family doctor, dermatologist or neurologist, no matter what ailment I come to any doctor’s office with, sooner or later someone will look at me with that look.
That look, with the head slightly bowed, the corners of the mouth turned up in a pitying smile, and the eyes a little wider than usual. To show that an important secret is now being shared: It’s what actors do with their eyes when they’re the only ones who know that the comet is about to hit, the T-Rex is on the loose, or they’re bringing bad news from the future.
Only in combination with a head in a defensive bow and a pity mouth. And all this facial expression is used to say the following sentence: “You are now a woman over 40.”
“Woman over 40” is a very diverse clinical pictureand you don’t really know much about it (it hasn’t been around that long and can only affect half of the population at most), but once diagnosed, it’s obviously the cause of almost all the problems a body can have. This also means: “We are not responsible for this. Please contact your gynecologist.”
Medical gaslighting in everyday life
The assumption is: the painful ankle, the constant headaches or circulatory problems, these could all be menopausal symptoms. Already possible. Much more likely, however, at my age (the over-40 diagnosis is still recent) and especially given the knowledge I have about my own body, it’s probably not. To get to the bottom of the symptoms, we should do something deeper into my medical records look than just the date of birth.
Many groups experience medical gaslighting and are therefore not taken seriously in practice when they describe their complaints. According to studies: women – simply because they are women. When it comes to people with mental illnesses, physical suffering is quickly blamed on the mental aspect, and when it comes to fat people, it’s all about weight.
The special thing about the form of medical gaslighting, which affects all people who can receive a woman over 40 diagnosis – whether that corresponds to their gender identity or not – is that the reason is a positive development: There is more talk about menopause and perimenopause, and there is a greater awareness that menopausal symptoms are more diverse than some Flinta * parties.
They not only show up in the form of hot flashes and sleep disorders, but also sometimes appear as joint pain or bladder infections. The long list of symptoms gives me brain fog. This is also a perimenopause symptom. So at my age I can’t say exactly where it comes from.
The thing is: diseases don’t just disappear when a woman is over 40. Illnesses are not movie leads. That’s why it’s worth looking at what else could be going on in the body. Unfortunately, once patients reach a certain age, gynecologists cannot solve every health problem with magical hormones.