Women suffer unnecessary pain, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). Women’s pain is both ignored and improperly treated. From labor pain to menstrual pain, to sciatica, and to phantom pain after breast surgery, there are many effective treatments that some doctors are not aware of, according to Dr. Anita Gupta.
“I think there are multiple reasons why many women are not getting the attention they need for their pain,” she said. Some physicians are not aware of treatments that work, especially treatments beyond simple pain medication.
Women can assume they simply have to live with their pain, and they may not speak up about it to their doctors. Gupta is the medical director of the Division of Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesiology at Hahnemann University Hospital and Drexel University College of Medicine. The ASA conducted a literature review and issued the Women’s Pain Update on Jan. 19, and Gupta was among the ASA experts who issued the review.
