https://www.9news.com.au/national/endometriosis-elevates-ovarian-cancer-risk-four-times-health-news/f2a69329-d0ed-48aa-8803-6da56467714c

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/how-mums-common-female-issue-became-terminal/news-story/2e83a708a33ae52c79a1042aef9482c5

endometriosis and the constant belittlement of women's pain in medical environments. 

these 2 articles on 9news are both centred around endometriosis, a common yet debilitating medical condition in which tissue similar to uterine lining grows on the outside of the uterus, instead of the inside, causing severe pain and fertility issues in the women who are affected. 

each article was written sympathetically toward the plight of women affected by the disease, with Christie Smith, the central focus of one of the articles repeatedly discussing the 'gaslighting' she experienced at the hands of medical professionals she consulted, and the other article was written and supported by medical researchers at the University of Utah. 

in one instance, she recounted how despite suffering from endmetriosis since her teens, doctors did not diagnose her until she had an ectopic pregnancy in one of her fallopian tubes. endometriosis does not show up well on scans, and is hard to discover with scans. 

however, as endometriosis is often debilitating, causing severe pain during menstruation to the point that some women suffering from it are bedridden, many women are often already aware they have endometriosis before medical professionals. 'i couldn't get out of bed for several days', remarked Smith. 

in the article published on 9news, it is stated that ovarian cancer, which women affected by endometriosis are over 4 times more likely to develop, is the deadliest gynecological cancer, as it is often diagnosed too late. only 45% of women will survive 5 years after their diagnosis date. 

the story of Christie was presented as a cautionary tale, but it is worth noting that many of Smith's recollections were prefaced with "Smith 'claimed'.....", as if the reporters were skeptical of her experiences. 

this ties into a deeper issue of women often being dismissed in medical environments, both as medical professionals and as patients. despite her being visibly in pain and struggling. many pregnant women have experiences with medical professionals prescribing them minor over the counter pain medications while being in labour or experiencing hernias, while male patients experience the opposite. Smith had gotten a numerous number of scans throughout her life, yet it was only after a major incident occurred that doctors were willing to diagnose her. additionally, ovarian cancer's survival rate rises dramatically to 90% when discovered early, so it can be deduced that the low survival rate is only due to the lack of proper diagnosis among patients.