Gendered Pain

Women often face challenges in having their pain recognized and taken seriously by health care providers, as stated in a recent study published in The Lancet. According to “Gendered pain: a call for recognition and health equity”, women are much more likely to encounter skepticism regarding their symptoms. Ingrained gender biases about women’s bodies can contribute to health care professionals downplaying or attributing women's pain to psychological factors or hormonal fluctuations rather than addressing its underlying medical conditions.

In preventive healthcare, most women are all too familiar with the pressure of a routine mammogram. In some cases, the discomfort and pain can be enough to deter some from getting their exam altogether: Almost 60% of women over the age of 40 skip annual mammograms, and almost a quarter say they've never had one, according to a 2023 survey conducted by MedStar Health in Maryland, MD. 

75% of those who do get their annual exam describe getting a mammogram as a painful experience that can influence the perceived success of early detection programs, with some women even reporting feeling discomfort or pain in subsequent days.

These are staggering statistics and most importantly, resolvable. Koning wants you to know there is an alternative that is both pain-free and accurate: the Koning Vera. Our device is made to provide a more comfortable and dignified experience, not as a luxury or tradeoff, but a priority. We know that pain and health should not be synonymous. 

Sources: 

“Gendered pain: a call for recognition and health equity”, The Lancet, March 06, 2024, © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Montoro CI, Alcaraz MDC, Galvez-Sánchez CM. “Experience of Pain and Unpleasantness during Mammography Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Roles of Emotional, Cognitive, and Personality Factors.” Behav Sci (Basel). 2023 May 4;13(5):377. doi: 10.3390/bs13050377. PMID: 37232614; PMCID: PMC10215386.