While most doctors in New York try to be as thorough as possible in their diagnoses, some patients have to deal with medical mistakes. In particular, women often have difficulty getting proper diagnoses. This is particularly true when it comes to reproductive problems like pain and heavy menstrual cycles.
For example, one woman said that she had suffered from abnormal pain and heavy menstruation since she was a teenager. Over a 20-year period, she saw numerous doctors in different specialties in her quest to get a diagnosis. A GI doctor gave her a misdiagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome while gynecologists told her that her menstruation cycle was normal. She eventually learned that she had endometriosis at the age of 34 when she had trouble getting pregnant. This condition causes the endometrium, which is the tissue that lines the interior of the uterus, to grow on the outside.
Endometriosis is not the only disease or condition that causes diagnoses issues for women. Females are commonly misdiagnosed with heart disease even after they have had a heart attack. Strokes, autoimmune diseases and general pain are also often missed altogether. Part of the problem is that women have different symptoms than men. On top of that, there is a lack of research into the symptoms that women exhibit.
A misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis can result in irreversible health consequences, especially if the patient has a degenerative condition or disease that prevents them from working. If a person sustained injuries from medical malpractice, an attorney may review the case and gather evidence that demonstrates negligence. In some cases, the attorney may also be able to hold the practice or the hospital responsible.
