I was fortunate to get an early viewing of a documentary called Below the Belt (2023) directed by Shannon Cohn. More information of the film can be found here: https://www.belowthebelt.film/ .
I highly recommend seeing this film. It’s about endometriosis. The film captures the problems of what women go through in the healthcare system. The documentary follows a diverse selection of women who have endometriosis, and the difficult journey to have their voices heard in the healthcare system.
This film really resonated with me. I don’t have endometriosis but I do have PCOS. It took over 25 years before I finally got diagnosed with PCOS!
When I was a teenager, I remember directly asking three doctors if I had PCOS: I was blatantly ignored by all three. In my later years, some doctors thought I might have PCOS and would order an ultrasound. But they all would conclude that I didn’t have PCOS because I didn’t have any cysts. Just to let you know, not all women with PCOS develop cysts.[1] It makes me wonder how many others aren’t being properly diagnosed.
Our healthcare system needs to do a better job at educating healthcare providers on women’s menstrual and reproductive health, and listening to our problems. No one should have to live with pain, with horrible periods, or suffer mentally or physically.
So how do we change the system? Well, one way is that we keep sharing our health journeys on any and all platforms. Let’s listen to each other and be supportive of each other in our health journeys, and one day it will change!
[1] Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), viewed 10, March 2023, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos.