Hysterical: whose bodies do we study, and is our treatment falling behind?

Fatima El-Assaad lost her daughter Aya in 2021 after she was born still at 27 weeks, but felt like she wasn't given the appropriate support to navigate her grief. It wasn't until Fatima started speaking to other Muslim parents, that she began to recognise a gap in culturally safe bereavement support. In fact, Fatima's advocacy group The Still Nest, contributed one of thousands of submissions to a world-first New South Wales birth trauma inquiry earlier this year - in which the government pledged support for all 43 recommendations. I'm your host Catriona Stirrat and in this episode of 'Hysterical' Fatima shares what she believes needs to change when it comes to healthy conversations around pregnancy loss.

Bianca Millroy lives with functional neurological disorder, or FND - a condition that encompasses a range of neurological symptoms, including limb weakness, tremor, numbness or blackouts, and related to the movement and sensation parts of the nervous system. In this bonus episode of 'Hysterical', Catriona Stirrat speaks with Bianca who shares how her condition was undiagnosed and untreated for 12 of the 13 years she has lived with FND. Bianca says she was met with disbelief and continued misdiagnosis, until she finally found her voice in an unexpected way.

From measuring a woman's health based on her attractiveness, to studies showing women have to prove themselves to be sicker than a man to receive treatment. In this bonus episode of 'Hysterical', Cattriona Stirrat speaks with Dr Lea Merone, a researcher in women's health. She breaks down concepts such as Yentl syndrome and the 'beauty myth', but also shares her own story of confronting the very issues she studies.

The government is being called to respond to 25 recommendations from a Senate inquiry into perimenopause and menopause. The inquiry heard from hundreds of women across Australia, who shared stories of stigma, dismissal of symptoms and financial barriers. In this bonus episode of 'Hysterical', we hear from advocates and women with lived experience on what they want the federal government to do.

Women are sharing experiences of stigma and discrimination when it comes to flexible working arrangements to manage chronic pain conditions. This is despite the fact at least 3 million Australians are estimated to be suffering with chronic pain, amid a rise in remote and hybrid work arrangements following the COVID pandemic. In this bonus episode of 'Hysterical' we speak to women who have encountered this workplace stigma, and the changes they wish to see across Australia's workplaces.

Women and trans people clearly experience ongoing barriers and bias in our health system, but what about those on the very frontline of care? Healthcare professionals fight tirelessly to provide quality care to all who need it, but women and trans health workers are reporting bias, discrimination, and even bullying, as they perform this essential work.

The male body is still treated as the default in medicine, despite progress around women's health issues. This prevailing bias in medical studies and clinical trials can have dire consequences for women and trans people who are vulnerable to misdiagnosis and unknown side affects from medication.

The average diagnosis for endometriosis is between 7 and 12 years, while a Senate inquiry is currently looking into issues related to perimenopause and menopause. At the same time, there are prevailing gaps in knowledge around other health conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome. So what are the consequences of a delayed diagnosis for women and trans people?

It was a historic moment for Australia... as Western Australia became the last state in the country to decriminalise abortion in March this year. The federal government also committed just over $6 million dollars in funding to contraceptive care in the May budget. But there are still barriers around accessing safe and affordable sexual and reproductive health care for women and the LGBTQI+ community.

A world-first New South Wales birth trauma inquiry released at the end of May made 43 recommendations for the state government. These include implementing trauma-informed care, reviewing laws around informed consent and improving mental health support and postpartum services. So what are the birth experiences of people in Australia which led to this inquiry?