Central Coast mother of two Jen O’Neill, 44, was in a hospital bed after her second of three heart attacks in six years when she overheard a nurse talking to a colleague about her condition.
“That really played to the perception that I was being a burden and that I was wasting resources,” she said. She said heart attacks were a prime example. Men and women typically felt chest pain; however, women often also had symptoms such as nausea and back pain. These differences often meant women didn’t seek help immediately, and health workers didn’t always recognise the symptoms.O’Neill said she dismissed the discomfort in her left arm, odd sensation in her breast and severe nausea as mastitis when she had her first heart attack.
“Our vision is to ensure that an understanding of sex and gender is integrated into all aspects of medical research, policy and practice and, in doing so, we believe that’s going to lead to marked improvements in both health outcomes and health inequities for Australians.”Pointing to an initial area of focus, she said a recent review of medical journals published in Australia had shown only about 30 per cent analysed their data separately for men and women.