Married couple reported the ‘same symptoms’ to their doctor. He got a diagnosis and medicine — she didn’t even get a blood test
The incident reminded Chloe Myers that this wasn't the first time her voice was left unheard by the doctors
A woman named Chloe Myers (@chloe_myers_coach) became an unsuspecting witness to sexism lurking in the medical community when she and her husband visited a doctor. Both of them were experiencing the same symptoms. But while her husband received an immediate diagnosis after a blood test, her own symptoms were blatantly dismissed. The unheeded denial of her condition caused her to rethink the gender bias in the healthcare industry. Myers’ July 30, 2026, Instagram video has garnered nearly 40,000 likes so far.
When the voice goes unheard
"I am really gutted that this is true," Myers said before sharing her story. Both Myers and her husband had gone to the GP with the exact same symptoms. The only difference was their genders. And apparently, that was enough, because her symptoms were brushed off while her husband was properly diagnosed. Both underwent blood tests, but only her husband received an appropriate diagnosis, followed by a GP appointment and medication.
So, while her husband's symptoms relieved with time, Myers was still waiting for her blood test results. "I am still exactly where I was," she described in frustration. This was not the first time she felt unheard and invalidated as a woman in her local healthcare community. “I have never felt able to get my voice heard with the NHS,” she lamented.
'What will it take for women to be taken seriously?'
In another incident, when she called almost 10 times to make a doctor’s appointment for her children, she was labeled as an “emotional mum,” but when her husband rang, the appointment was booked instantly. Additionally, during the COVID pandemic, doctors dismissed her requests to see her mom, who was dying of cancer. When she finally passed away, doctors commented, "I wasn’t expecting it to happen so fast."
During the same period, her father was given incorrect prescriptions, and his condition was ignored until he had a severe fall and had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. “I am sure that I'm not the only one out there who feels like they're not taken seriously by the health service, and men seem to be taken so much more seriously, and it's not fair,” Myers expressed, and remarked, “What will it take for women to be taken seriously?”
Shadow of gender bias
Unfortunately, Myers is not the only one to encounter this obstinate gender bias. Even as healthcare advances, gender stereotypes still affect patients and can influence how doctors treat them. A 2018 study found that doctors often view men with chronic pain as “brave” or “stoic” while women’s pain is shrugged off as “emotional” or “hysterical.”
A 2019 study in Denmark, published in Nature Communications, found that in 72% of the cases, women had to wait longer for a diagnosis than men. Another study by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research revealed that women were diagnosed about four years later than men in almost 770 types of diseases.
Medical misogyny
Viewers found Myers’ concern relatable and agreed that women are often at the receiving end of gender bias in healthcare. @hen_w_w commented, “Medical misogyny is around every corner in the NHS…incredibly frustrating!” @ladyshergs shared a similar incident: “My husband and I were both in the same car accident — he got an X-ray, I got 2 paracetamol!” @katja.faber.author said, “It's a known 'phenomenon,' and that’s why women are always advised to go to doctors' appointments accompanied by a man.”
You can follow Chloe Myers (@chloe_myers_coach) on Instagram for personal development content and spiritual insights.
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