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Hysterical Women

Health, sexism & hysteria

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Sarah Graham

infertility

Overeactomy: ‘He laughed and sent me on my merry way’

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 | Sarah Graham

Guest post by Gillian Mackenzie

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Hysterical Women of The Week: 7 July

July 7, 2019 | Sarah Graham

This weekend’s roundup of sexism in women’s health

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Hysterical Women of the Week: 17 June

June 17, 2019 | Sarah Graham

A belated weekend roundup of news and views on the gender health gap

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Hysterical Women of the Fortnight: 28 April

April 28, 2019April 26, 2019 | Sarah Graham

Back after the Easter break, here’s our weekend roundup of sexism in women’s health

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Stop ovary-acting

Hysterical Women is a feminist blog founded by freelance health journalist Sarah Graham, to explore the sexism, paternalism, dismissal and disbelief surrounding women’s healthcare.

“Hysteria”, from the Greek word for uterus, hystera (ὑστέρα), was historically used to describe a range of emotional, mental, physical and sexual symptoms in women.

It’s no longer an accepted medical diagnosis, but the idea of ‘hysteria’ lives on. Often used interchangeably with ‘hormonal’, the word ‘hysterical’ is used to dismiss women as overly emotional or irrationally upset.

Ovary-acting, if you will.

But how much are our hormones really calling the shots, and how much is just plain old-fashioned sexism?

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Hysterical Women is a passion project, funded out of my own pocket, produced in my spare time, and generating absolutely no profit. If you appreciate the work that I do, please consider supporting Hysterical Women for the price of a cup of coffee, which will help cover my time and web hosting costs.

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