5 Things Women Do Wrong in the Doctor’s Office: Do You?

This article (and the very thought of this topic, period) completely struck me. Wait a minute! You mean to tell me women are flawed when it comes to keeping things under control? No way! We are the keepers of schedules, the masters of multi-tasking, the calmers of chaos. There is no way we’d let a little thing like the big, bad doctor’s office make us lose our bearings. Uh-unh.

Well, um, I guess maybe we might.

In fact, there are five things that we do wrong in the doctor’s office so often, they were noteworthy enough to report to the masses. So what are they? Let’s see:

1. Women don’t question doctors - The theory behind this statement is that being at a doctor’s office puts women in a “child’s” role to their doctor’s “parent” role. The solution? Try writing down burning questions ahead of time, take someone with you who will ask the questions you are afraid to, or ask the doctor to think a question through together until the answer makes complete sense to you.

2. Women tend to over-research. Okay, this I can see, because, well, I’m guilty as charged. And I can see how most women would fit this description as well, especially computer-savvy mothers.

So what’s so bad about this “knowledge is power” perspective? Well, while doing your own research is a good thing to some extent, female patients tend to become overwhelmed by what they’ve read (since it’s usually way too much), and convince themselves of symptoms and diseases they might not even have. The solution to this problem? Draw out only key points from your research to keep conversations with your doctor focused and on-topic.

3. Women don’t recognize gender bias - Studies have shown that women’s medical problems are more likely to be interpreted as emotional issues or complaining. You want to be sure your doctor is taking your seriously and not discounting your visit simply because you are a woman. If a doctor makes a remark like “Now, dear, it’s not all that bad,” recognize that you need to stop the visit immediately.

4. Women interpret their own symptoms - Instead of running through the facts with their doctors, women also tend to offer their own interpretations, sometimes “choosing” less severe illnesses, when their symptoms are really more indicative of something serious. Remember, you never want to lead your doctor down the wrong path by being suggestive. Let them consider the symptoms and presentation and go from there.

5. The mother of all mistakes: Women don’t trust their intuition - This one very much surprises me, especially since women who are mothers are left to their own intuitions regarding their children regularly. But when it comes to health, women often talk themselves out of what they may already know is right, just to avoid making waves or creating conflict.

So ladies (and doctors), what do you think? Are these spot-on? Are you (or any of your patients) offenders to any of these “wrongs”? Let us know in the comments below…

Image: newscom