Struggles for Medical Legitimacy among Women Experiencing Sexual Pain: A Qualitative Study.

Struggles for Medical Legitimacy among Women Experiencing Sexual Pain: A Qualitative Study. Women Health. 2017 Mar 15;: Authors: Braksmajer A Abstract Given the prominent role of medical institutions in defining what is "healthy" and "normal", many women turn to medicine when experiencing pain during intercourse (dyspareunia). The medical encounter can become a contest between patients and providers when physicians do not grant legitimacy to patients' claims of illness. Drawing on interviews conducted from 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 with 32 women with dyspareunia (ages 18-60 years) living in New York City and surrounding areas, this study examined women's and their physicians' claims regarding bodily expertise, particularly women's perceptions of physician invalidation, their understanding of this invalidation as gendered, and the consequences for women's pursuit of medicalization. Women overwhelmingly sought a medical diagnosis for their dyspareunia, which they believed would relieve uncertainty about its origin, provide treatment alternatives, and permit them to avoid sexual activity. When providers did not provide diagnoses, women reported feeling that their bodily self-knowledge was dismissed and their symptoms attributed to psychosomatic causes. Furthermore, some women linked their perceptions of invalidation to both historical and contemporary forms of gender bias. Exploration of women's struggles for medical legitimacy may lead ...
Source: Pain Physician - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Women Health Source Type: research