MY TAKE

WHEN WILL YOU TAKE YOUR HEALTH SERIOUSLY, LADY?

Why do women downplay their own health concerns? Image credit: SANJU PANDITA on Unsplash.

By SHAGORIKA EASWAR

New research reveals that most women downplay their own health concerns. Yeah, well, surprise! We women know this. And men know women in their lives live like this.

I come from a line of women who made an art out of downplaying their health concerns. “Mujhe kya hua hai? I’m fine,” was the common refrain of everyone from my grandmother and my mother’s sisters to my mother herself.

When she felt really unwell and actually had to take an unscheduled nap, she’d apologize, or resort to self-deprecating humour about how silly she was being. Or both.

My father was a doctor, but I don’t recall her ever “consulting” him. She was always fine. Until one day, she wasn’t.

I vowed then not to be like her in this one aspect. If I felt under the weather, I’d go to a doctor. When our sons were little, my husband and I made a pact – we would not neglect our health. We couldn’t afford to. Who would look after our kids if something were to happen to us? That might be somewhat of a morbid reason to stay healthy I think as I look back on those days. But we were good about routine check-ups and consulting the doctor over what I’d start by describing as “probably nothing”. Okay, so I was more like my mother than I thought.

And as our sons grew older and we enjoyed relatively good health, I found myself slip-sliding my way back even more into her ways.

Thus a press release from Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health doesn’t come as a revelation.

Most women do really downplay their own health concerns.

The charitable arm of Shoppers Drug Mart is highlighting critical gaps in awareness of women’s health care across Canada. They found that many women struggle to recognize the severity of their own health challenges, from menstrual health issues to mental well-being. Specifically, almost 3 in 4 women admit to downplaying their own health concerns by not trusting that symptoms they experienced were serious enough to warrant seeking professional help.

Other key findings from the research include:

81% of women know someone whose condition could have been diagnosed and treated earlier with better understanding of their own symptoms.

Despite recognizing common symptoms like hot flashes and irregular periods, 31% of women struggle to distinguish between normal and serious signs.

73% of women downplay their health concerns, feeling symptoms aren’t serious enough for professional help.

“Our research reveals a troubling reality: women’s lack of awareness and education of their own health too often leads to delayed diagnoses,” said Paulette Minard, Director, Community Investment at Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health.

The Foundation has committed to invest $50 million by 2026 to improve access, awareness and research in women’s health. Part of its work to support critical women’s health research and innovation includes a longstanding partnership with Women’s Health Collective Canada.

“This renewed investment isn’t just funding research, it’s fuelling a shift in how we recognize, respond to, and prioritize women’s symptoms and experiences,” says Amy Flood, Executive Director, Women’s Health Collective Canada. “Together, we’re working to close the awareness gap and build a future where the needs of women aren’t ignored – we couldn’t do it without partnerships like this.”

I think this is truly a fantastic initiative. And yet, I believe a crucial piece is missing. This is not only about “women’s lack of awareness and education of their own health”.

My mother was doing her PhD in anthropology when she was offered a position as a prime time news anchor at All India Radio. My aunts were principals of colleges. My friends, who regularly exhort each other to go for that long overdue checkup, are all educated women. They do not lack awareness.

In Canada with universal healthcare and in India, with the life of privilege they are blessed with, there are few barriers to accessing care. Except one – our own default setting. Which is one only we can dismantle by taking ourselves seriously. By genuinely believing that going to a doctor is not a waste of anyone’s time.

More at shoppersfoundation.ca.