This Won't Hurt: How Medicine Fails Women

by Marieke Bigg

Did you know: women are 59% more likely than men to receive an incorrect diagnosis when experiencing heart attack.

Or: women are more susceptible to pain medications than men, leading to higher rates of addiction because doctors simply prescribe pain medication in the same way.
Or: among alcoholics, women are almost 100% more likely to die due to alcohol-related diseases than men are?
In a field that, for millennia, has been dominated by men. The vast majority of medicines and treatments that we use today were designed for, and by, men and the myth that medicine is gender-neutral has had terrible repercussions for women.
In THIS WON'T HURT, Dr Marieke Bigg takes a deep dive into all the ways medicine is not gender neutral, using stories and experiences to demonstrate how these flawed mindsets have paved the way for sub-par treatment, and how prevailing attitudes in a patriarchal world can have unexpected effects far downstream. From sex and reproduction, to female bones and female pain, Marieke explores how women's bodies have been ignored, misunderstood and misdiagnosed, and asks the fundamental question: How can we make sure we do better?
Blending fascinating examples with historical and cultural context, and with an eye to a better future, THIS WON'T HURT is a must-read for anyone committed to making this world safe to navigate for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Science, Medical, Medicine, Health

272 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

About the author

Marieke Bigg writes about bodies and culture. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, where she studied the technological transformation of human reproduction. She now writes both non-fiction and fiction about the cultural dimensions of biology and bodies. In addition to her books, Marieke writes freelance, hosts podcasts and panels, and collaborates with scientists and biologists to discuss and produce art that conjures new social worlds.

Reviews

[Daniella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and not in a good way. More sociological observations, less medicine. Disappointing.

[Kate Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Good but felt a bit broad without much detail. Not much I didn't know before, unfortunately.

[Thomas Fleetwood-Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes insightful but I found it focused too much on the sociology than the medicine itself (hence the title is somewhat misleading). For example, the author only mentioned intrauterine contraceptive insertions (one of the most common gynaecological procedures worldwide) once, in the conclusion, and even then only dedicated a single paragraph to it. More depth (particularly from a medical standpoint) would have been appreciated.

[Grace McMahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you angry! Having just finished a degree in Pharmacology, I am all too aware of the far-reaching consequences of excluding women from medical research. I was given this book for Christmas and was expecting a recap of what I already knew: dry, scientific, and heavy on the statistics. This book was none of those things! I haven’t read much sociology, but I found myself really opening my mind in a different way, considering so much more than just the bare facts. It’s not a quick read by any means, I found I needed to sleep on each chapter to really understand what I’d read, but this book is a superb and intellectual take on sexist bias in medicine from a sociological perspective. I loved it!

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Won’t Hurt: How Medicine Fails Women, by Dr Marieke Bigg
Rating: 5/5
Published: Now
‘The idea that medicine is gender-neutral is a myth. This isn’t inflammatory rhetoric: it’s simply true. From the way pain is felt to how heart attacks are diagnosed to the very role society plays in the health of the body, the medical landscape in place today is one that was designed for, and by, men.’
This book is a brilliant examination of how women are being failed by medicine. As someone who suffers from severe endometriosis, I picked up this book out of curiosity, and I have never felt so seen in my life. Bigg looks at a variety of medical fields where women are neglected, dismissed and failed, and explores why this happens, and what needs to be done to make positive changes. Society still views women as child bearers and little else, and our healthcare systems are designed around this outdated and insulting model. I was shocked to read how little funding is approved into research concerning women’s health, and why that is – it simply isn’t viewed as lucrative enough. Bigg talks about how the numbers of women attending cervical cancer checks are dwindling, and how women are actually more likely to suffer from certain types of heart failure, despite it often being thought of as a male condition. This book is brave and bold, and made me absolutely furious. I want to give it to all of my female friends, and demand that they read it immediately! Ha! 😊

[Jassy Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because there were some interesting parts and I think anything that starts a conversation in this space has some value, but unfortunately *only* 2 stars because this was the kind of book that made me want to write an essay, and not in the good way. I may return later with a more thought out response but unfortunately some of the arguments were very poorly supported, and much of the book feels like trying to bend the research or invent an issue to prove a “feminist” point in places where it’s really not warranted or helpful. I’m sorry, but defending an ovum’s contribution to the process of fertilisation “they really do have an ACTIVE part they’re not passive” (I’m paraphrasing) is not an argument I care about, there are so many more interesting and real world issues for women and their health.

[Madison M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel as though this book could have gone a lot deeper into the topics it was presenting but settled on remaining surface level. I suppose it was to be consumable for the majority of audiences but in taking a more sociological approach it made the title misleading and the arguments a little lack lustre.

However, this is a very important topic and one that desperately needs more attention. So I can’t be too pessimistic to a book whose author did the best they could on a topic that lacks a lot of context and research.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some insight into how medicine and research has systemically excluded women as well as how some medical conditions which present differently in women have not been part of medical education or part of education of the wider public.
There is comment on sociological constructs related to reproduction and sex (such as how the egg and sperm are perceived, how women are displayed in porn, etc) that seemed more personal opinion rather than universal truth.

[Kingdom Smallfig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't want to criticise a book because "it wasn't what I expected" - so I will criticise it because it felt like it was repeating the same sentence again and again slightly changing the wording and also padding it to turn it to a paragraph. Not every chapter needs a conclusion/recommendations, especially if it's all very similar.

[Caitlin Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as medicine-based as I had hoped. Pretty generic and didn’t really learn anything new, considered it pretty surface level! Could have gone into a lot more depth and definitely should have included more medical details - mostly was just about sex. Misleading title.

[Charli Huston · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - upon reading the first few chapters I started thinking “this doesn’t sound like it’s written by a medical professional”. The author has a PHD in sociology, which makes sense, because this book is very “sociology” and not very scientific. Therefore, not for me.

[Mairead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too true

[kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

a vv informative and interesting book about the dangers of the gendered world of medicine, recommended by my friend currently studying medicine 🤓

[Natalie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 interesting and thought provocating. Repetitive at times and some topics I wished to be longer that felt rushed through. I was able to easily skim though and focus on the sections of most interest to me.

[paula. · Rating 4 out of 5]

so i never actually fully completed this (stopped around 85%), but it is a very good and informative read

[ricelovesriceee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuels my morning feminist rage