Reminds me of this debacle.

the researchers specifically mention that this is a jumping off point and further research is under way. Hopefully some progress is made.

Yeah, I touched on that elsewhere —- the idea of women becoming hysterical is definitely pervasive in society and can keep them from seeking medical care (the belief that no one will take you seriously is a powerful demotivator). That's undeniable and almost certainly a factor with young women who will assume it's…

sometimes being a woman really blows, Huh?

I would say yes (but don't have research to back it up). Women do go to the doctor more often than men but there is also a underlying idea in some people that when women complain about anything they are overreacting and will devolve into tears - it is the same concern that makes us reluctant to complain about things…

It is absolutely true...that's kind of the point.

Women that age blow off visits for a lot of reasons.

Yeah, I got that sense. At first I thought it was genuine confusion because maybe =/= isn't a universal symbol, but fool me once shame on you, fool me four times...

That too. And there are attempts to change that — a lot of new outreach and emphasis on representing all genders and races in future research — but it's going to be a long time before common knowledge catches up. That's why education is so critical here.

I wasn't using the term hysteria. Nor would I. I mentioned it only to refute its use in the headline.

I'm still confused but OK —- I am not concerned with hysteria because it's not an actual condition, I am concerned with hypochondria when people suffer from it or it impairs their access to care.

Yes, well...

Sorry, I'm really confused here. I specifically pointed out in my comment that hypochondria does not equal hysteria (because the latter has not been considered a medical condition for decades). What exactly are you taking issue with?

I'm not?

Ah. So like "suffer in silence" — that's almost certainly how she meant it. In medicine "suffer from X" usually just means to experience it so that was my read. I retract the ETA then.

Karyn, would you consider adding AHA's symptoms of heart attack in women to the post? Confusion about the symptoms is a large part of why women are facing delayed treatment.

Yes. That is likely a significant part of the problem here.

Of note, this (very small) study was based on interviews with women ages 30-55. Specifically young women are likely to delay getting help — possibly because for most women in their 30s heart attacks aren't even a consideration. Women are also more likely in general to have the kind of non specific symptoms that can…

You can retire for the day now, Professor.

SORRY SITA but if you're going to position yourself as a fount of knowledge about all things fleek, YOU need to do the googling for me.