Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A STUDY revealed that 70% of women in Spain experience menstrual discomfort each month or almost every month.
Even though the number of women who were surveyed was high, only 20% said they have ever seen a gynecologist.
The study that included contributions by the Spanish National Research Council CSIC and Valencia Polytechnic University UPV was published in the Frontiers in Public Health journal.
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Researchers conducted an online survey with 3,490 women aged 14 or older who were either born in Spain or had lived there.
Sara Sanchez-Lopez led the study, which revealed that more than 70% menstruating women experience menstrual cramps, abdominal bloating and diarrhoea, as well as heavy bleeding.
Only 45% said that they see a gynaecologist every year.
This number dropped to 35% if they saw a specialist less than once per year. 19% said that they had never seen a specialist.
Sara Sanchez Lopez said: “Many people feel ignored or neglected by healthcare professionals.”
She continued, “Factors like being obese, having a past of anxiety or just being a women negatively impact the credibility and trustworthiness of patients who visit a consultant.”
This inequality is known as the ‘gender pain gap‘ The classification classifies the tendencies of healthcare systems to undertreat or underestimate women’s pain.
It can lead to a mistrust of medical professionals and cause women to turn to other solutions, or even to avoid seeking help altogether.
Santiago Moll Lopez of the UPV says that women with private insurance are more likely than others to seek medical treatment.
Moll López noted, “The type and level of coverage is important as women who have access to the private system attend gynecological consultations at a higher frequency than those who are on the public health care system.”
Sara Sanchez Lopez concluded: “This study is meant to be an action call and a point of departure for the development and implementation of legal and socio-economic measures that will ensure adequate medical care and impartiality for women suffering from menstrual cramps.”
