Women 'not being heard' despite almost all young females having pelvic or menstrual pain

90% of young women (aged 18-44) in Ireland are experiencing pelvic or menstrual pain but they are 'not being heard' and are forced to downplay symptoms to get through the day. 

So says Dr Sumi Dunne, a GP specialising in women's health. 

She was speaking on Newstalk Breakfast following the release of a new report by Laya Healthcare called 'Closing the Gender Health Gap.' 

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The report highlights that over half of women delay seeking medical help for fear of not being heard and 66% take pain killers just to push through work day.

When asked who isn’t taking them seriously, Dr Dunne replied: 

“It’s multi-factorial. A lot of women are just saying ‘I’m not being heard’ and they’re not being heard in the house. They’re not being heard in the workplace. They’re not being heard by their healthcare practitioners." 

“Particularly if it’s pelvic pain, if it’s menstrual pain and it’s monthly and you have to downplay the symptoms and you have to push through the day, that is un-correct,” she added.

83% of Irish women suffer with menstrual or pelvic pain and that number jumps to 90% when just younger women are looked at. 

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“When women are ignored and not listened to… it can lead to significant delays in diagnosis and treatment,” Dr Dunne said. 

She added that it is "very upsetting" that so many women feel ignored, but on the plus side, there are things that can be done to help. 

"We need to be more proactive... Tell women they are being heard," she said. 

Dr Dunne also said that with increased conversations happening, a lot more health professionals are familiar with women's health. 

To read the full 'Closing the Gender Health Gap' report, visit Laya Healthcare's website. 

If you are interested in hearing a real-life story about how women are not heard, click the video below.