SIBO affects women at double the rate. Unfortunately, this means even more challenges in getting diagnosed and treated.
Women are disproportionately medically gaslit:
“Studies show female patients and people of color are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed by medical providers. Experts say: Keep asking questions.” – New York Times
If you have experienced SIBO as a woman, I’d be willing to bet you’ve had to visit more than one doctor to make progress on getting to the bottom of your gut problems. At a guess. at least one doctor has treated you like you’re a bit insane or ‘exaggerating’.
Women tend to be taken less seriously by medical professionals, which stems from deep societal biases based on gender. I’m not going to my thoughts on this, because it makes me too irate, but I am going to explain how this can manifest for SIBO sufferers, of which well over half are female.
The New York Times released a great article on medical gaslighting of women and people of colour, and you can read it here: Women Are Calling Out ‘Medical Gaslighting’
I want to discuss how this often plays out for SIBO sufferers and why it often results in having to play the expensive and draining game of “doctor hop”.
During my time as a SIBO sufferer, I had many doctors suggest the following:
Okay, they didn’t use these words, but it was the general drift of things.
Okay, many cases of IBS do have cures if you find out the cause. Given that SIBO is treatable and one of the leading causes of IBS, the doctors who said this were just not educated on gut health (which many doctors are not).
Look, I understand that there was SOME level of logic with this one. When asked if my symptoms got worse around my period, I answered yes. But I think any doctor treating women should have enough awareness about the changes in female hormones that cause gastric upset before menstruation. They are well documented. Many women experience them. SIBO often gets worse before your period because there are more factors at play, but your period isn’t the cause of SIBO.
I loved it when white male doctors implied that maybe I was just crazy, and all of this was in my head. Do we think they would have treated a male the same? I do not. I know many other female SIBO sufferers who have had similar experiences.
If you are currently going through the thick of it right now, I’d like you to know you’re not alone. You can take control of your gut health, and the first step is to get educated.
Love and best wishes on your gut healing journey, FixSIBO x
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