The Wildest Things Doctors Said to Women That’ll Make You Go “Wait, WHAT?!”

"You'll probably stop needing your meds once you find a serious relationship and have kids." Uh, no thanks! Told him I never want kids, got a new psychiatrist ASAP. Then there’s the "Pregnancy will cure your migraines, you should consider it" gem. Also ended with me switching docs. Oh, and the nurse saying "Women handle pain better, so we skimp on pain meds." My dad (a medical attorney) had to step in on that one. Yikes.

Every ER visit turned into a comedy of errors: "You just ate too much" for appendicitis, "It's just a bruise" for a broken bone, "Sometimes people get dizzy" for labyrinthitis. Doctors sure had a wild interpretation of my symptoms – spoiler alert, I was always right and they were wrong.

When my 8-year-old was seriously sick with internal bleeding, a doctor asked if she had anxiety issues. Like, seriously? She was in the hospital two weeks with a PICC line and transfusion. Doctor was immediately banned from her care.

Bleeding, vomiting, and cramps in the ER? "It’s just your stomach flu with your period," said the doctor. Nope! Turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cyst. Classic.

"Everyone gets headaches," said one doc after I had migraines so bad I ended up in the ER. An ER nurse asked if maybe I was just anxious. Then a gastroenterologist told me, "I only treat real pain." Meanwhile, I'm still trying to figure out what’s wrong.

"We give boys codeine after wisdom teeth removal, but girls just get ibuprofen." Not even a doctor, but still, wow. Girls get the short end of the pain stick, clearly.

I told my doctor pap smears hurt and asked for pain meds. Her advice? "Just have a drink before you come in." Um, no thanks. I never showed up for that appointment again.

My doctor told me my joint pain was because I was sad from heartbreak. Turns out, I had a legit condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Spoiler: feelings aren’t always the reason.

Got diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid, brought up PTSD as a possible cause. Doctor cut me off like, "Don’t start with why it happened." Told him I’ve got a therapist for that. Still no discussion on PTSD.

I lost my hearing overnight. The ENT department head didn’t want to deal with Deaf patients and wouldn’t meet me at first. When he did, he called me a neurotic woman and gave me Valium. Absolutely wild.

After getting my fallopian tubes removed (on purpose, thanks), a nurse asked, "Are you sad?" Nope, I was just waking up kinda groggy and giggled. Spoiler: I was happy with my choice.

I showed up to the ER dizzy with heart palpitations. Doc goes, "Take your meds, but don’t go crazy." Then he tried to push morphine on me when I’m allergic. After multiple protests, finally got non-narcotic pain meds. Plus, he insisted it was just food poisoning until tests proved otherwise. Oh, and he casually diagnosed me with "white-privilege" during an antidepressant refill. Yeah, that happened.

My psychiatrist said, "All women hate their bodies," when I was explaining my eating disorder. Ya know, just your typical helpful comment from a professional.

Asked my midwife for pain relief during labor. She offered me mild meds first, then begrudgingly gas and air. She even tried to send me home while I was actually in labor. I gave birth two hours later with someone finally believing me when my baby’s head was showing.

During a semi-emergency c-section, the doctor said, "Not that she'll ever wear a bikini, but I'll give her a nice low cut." Gross on so many levels. Plus the cut wasn’t even nice or low.

I was tense during a pap smear and the tool pinched me inside. The doctor said it was my fault for 'making it harder than it needs to be.' We had a major argument, and she didn’t seem to care.

First gyno visit, and the male doctor pinched my cheek and said it was nice to see a natural blonde for a change. Um, what? No thanks.

They called my epileptic seizure a 'pseudo seizure' from anxiety because of my period. Spoiler: it was actually epilepsy. Also, catamenial epilepsy is real, FYI.

Went in with concussion symptoms, doctor asked if I was an air hostess, implying forgetfulness is a quirky trait of theirs. I’m a police officer now, so... yeah, was definitely the wrong person for that comment.

Had a missing disc in my back. Med student recommended PT and steroid shot. Attending doctor ignored MRI, prescribed opiates—even though I'm allergic and have a medical alert necklace. Oof.

A French GP gave me a once-over and suggested some men might prefer no hair down there. Like, thanks for the input but no thanks!

"Are you sure it’s not just your period?" from a female doc. I said, "I've been having periods for over a decade, I know cramps." Talk about missing the point.

After my c-section, I said I was practicing abstinence. Doctor said, "No, not fair on your husband." Umm, how about fair to me?

Some classics from a doctor: "It’s all in your head," "You’re not perimenopausal yet," "Your mom had breast cancer so it’s guaranteed for you," "We still need a pregnancy test on a 50-year-old with no uterus," and "Have you asked your boyfriend if he’s okay with your breast reduction?" Yep, welcome to some women’s medical care.

At my first gynecological exam to get birth control, doctor actually told me, "You really are a virgin." Awkward doesn't even begin to cover it.

On my first pap smear at 15, male doctor said, "You have birthing hips." I was super uncomfortable. My dad laughed saying it was a good thing—I was just mad.

Asked how small a chest reduction could go. Surgeon said, "We don’t do reductions to an A cup, that wouldn’t be attractive." Gross and rude.

Classic dismissal: "It doesn’t hurt, you’re just uncomfortable." Because why believe pain when you can just say you’re making it up?

Had mid-back pain, worried about kidney infection. Male doc on phone said, "It’s period cramps." I wasn’t even on my period. Walked away frustrated and wished for a female doc.

Pitched ideas about getting my tubes tied: met with a wall of "You’re too young" and "You’ll change your mind". Gynecologists pushed birth control pills even when I didn’t want hormones, and one said I wasn’t mature enough for an IUD at 19. Changed docs and finally got a copper IUD. Progress!

Went in for emergency wisdom tooth removal, had an anxiety attack. Dentist said, "Maybe you’re crying because you’re on your period." Tried to complain but nothing happened.

Spotted pain for a year from IUD problems, told GP it wasn’t bladder pain but he kept insisting it was a bladder infection. After finally convincing gynecologist to remove IUD, GP acted annoyed and said I couldn’t know the difference between bladder and uterine pain. Yeah, sure.

When I told doctor about low iron, she said, "Even skinny people have this problem." Thanks for the insightful comment? Not.

Had thyroid cancer and surgery. Went to endocrinologist struggling with emotion and weight gain. Doc told me to eat less and that it’s all in my head. I left crying.

My doctor actually told me that getting married would fix my B12 deficiency. Like, uh, medical advice or wedding planning?

Getting the implant, male doc said, "If you just got pregnant, no need for birth control for 10 months." Ha ha, real funny.

Psych nurse told me having a kid would help with my iron deficiency. Sure, because a baby totally cures everything.

Told my doctor about 8 cavities that came out of nowhere. He said barfing caused the cavities. Thanks for the obvious.

Doctor asked how many kids I had, then said, "You know how that happens, right?" I struggled with infertility, and this guy made light of it. Also, he was an eye doctor. That was my last visit.

At 19, someone told me maybe having a baby would fix my irregular periods. No further follow-up. Thanks for nothing!