Women are often socialized to put our own needs second, and society seems to regularly relegate women to secondary, if not tertiary, levels of priority. I grew up watching my mother suffer through pain and illness and witnessed firsthand the many ways the American health care system failed her. When you’re a woman dealing with health and pain issues involving the reproductive system, the conversation turns almost immediately to fertility. After women go through the sometimes years-long slog of proving and legitimizing our pain to our doctors, it’s often too late. They resolve themselves to living a life of pain and hide themselves away because they don’t want to be a burden to anyone.

Source: Huffington Post May 13, 2018 12:00 UTC