Podcast: Migraine and the gender pain gap

Though it impacts all genders, migraine is sometimes misunderstood as a ‘women’s disorder’, which may lead to it being treated with less legitimacy, and presents barriers to diagnosis, treatment and research investment.¹

Gender stereotypes are known to contribute to gender bias in healthcare in general, and likely play a role in the gender pain gap – the phenomenon in which pain in women is more poorly understood and undertreated compared to pain in men.^2-4

Men are seen as being brave and rational, while women are seen as being dramatic, or to exaggerate to the extent that they are less likely to be believed about their pain. This extrapolates to the approach health professionals take to treating pain in women versus men, as they are more likely to refer women with pain for mental health assessments or to prescribe women antidepressants.^3,4

In this CPD-accredited podcast, listen to pharmacist Jacinta Johnson unravel how gender biases can impact treatment of migraine and hear first-hand insights from a patient on her long-term experience seeking treatment for migraine in the healthcare system.

It is likely that pharmacists will be involved in the management of migraine in both women and men. Therefore, they need to be aware of the potential for gender bias in healthcare as i