NHS GP referring to “people with a uterus”

[LumenLights]

My local GP surgery has been organising talks and events regarding endometriosis. They recently hosted an event which was open to sufferers and their friends and family - fair enough.

Most of the literature and social media posts from my surgery explicitly refer to women when talking about women, which is a relief.

However, I noticed they have posted a short video advertising an event in which a young male junior doctor proudly declares “endometriosis can affect anyone with a uterus” and doesn’t use the word “woman” or “female” at all. This has really pissed me off.

Is this still allowed? I thought we had left this nonsense behind. I want to complain but not sure the best way to do this, or if I have any right to in the first place.

I get the impression this young male doctor is very involved in the work they are doing around endometriosis, but I haven’t attended any of the events they have hosted so can’t comment on the language used in person.

Oh give over with your pathetic conspiracy theories. "People with cervixes" is completely accurate way to describe people who need a smear. "Women" isn't - my cervix ended up in a medical waste bin back in 2014, it certainly doesn't need a smear test.

Do they also talk about prostates as people with prostates
or people with testicules or do they manage to say men?

Well, currently it seems that we are a thought dictatorship in which it is no longer allowed to say "women".

"People with a uterus" is medically wrong in this case (apart from being misogynistic), because women can have endometriosis even when they no longer have a uterus or never had a uterus (some biological women are born without one).

Women whose first language is not English or who have learning difficulties might not understand the word "uterus". They do understand "women" though - and they might suffer from endometriosis.

I would make the surgery aware that this wording is not inclusive, offensive to a lot of women and medically incorrect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877575625000266 ?

Many trans still have a uterus and need the subsequent healthcare as do some intersex people. Lots of women don't have a uterus
I really can't see the issue with ensuring people getting the healthcare they need

Because it excludes women with learning difficulties, and for whom English is a second language, as they are less likely to know they have a uterus.

Well, yes, but trans people who still have a uterus are women, and, as pointed out by PP, women born without a uterus can also get endometriosis.

It's excessively technical language, as well as being imprecise, and it's more useful to patients to just say that this is a condition that almost exclusively affects women.

Of course, it's interesting that some men (fewer than two dozen reported) have developed it, and that's the sort of quirky factoid that could be included in an information video.

I'm not aware of any instances in men with DSDs such as chimericism or persistent Müllerian duct syndrome, so uterine tissue doesn't have to be present: the current leading hypothesis appears to involve proliferation of rogue embryological remnants under the action of inflammation or œstrogen. Fascinating stuff.

So why not say “women who still have a uterus”, rather than making it sound like men can have one if they choose to?

Or why not just say "people with a uterus" since that includes everyone relevant?

Misleading. Women without a uterus can suffer from endometriosis. And patients are more likely to understand 'woman' than 'uterus' anyway, so why the linguistic gymnastics?

"People with a uterus" is not linguistic gymnastics, it's a short and comprehensible phrase, it's the only option which captures everyone relevant while not including anyone not relevant, and it can easily be explained to anyone who doesn't understand it.

It's not informative to women with learning difficulties, who know they are women but may never even have heard the word uterus.

You've invented a hypothetical person with language comprehension issues who conveniently only understands the word you want to use and not any other, how handy for you. I could be childish and counter with "well what about someone who doesn't speak English at all so doesn't know the word 'woman' but does know the Latin word 'uterus'"? It's easy to invent a hypothetical gotcha.

But the fact is someone whose language comprehension fails on either front is likely to need - and will hopefully receive - extra support throughout the entire process of engaging with medical care (someone who doesn't know the word 'uterus' probably also doesn't know 'endometriosis' for starters) so will be able to have any words they don't know explained to them.

Meanwhile, simply saying "women" continues to include people for whom the information is not relevant and exclude people for whom it is.

I see in your outrage you neglected to read the thread, where multiple women have explained this is not correct.

I'm not sure where you're getting outrage from, I'm perfectly calm and have been speaking perfectly calmly..

As I understand it, if you have endometriosis and have had a hysterectomy, you can still have persisting problems, but if you didn't have endometriosis prior to your hysto or you've never had a uterus you're extremely unlikely to develop endometriosis. In the same way someone with ovarian cancer can still have ovarian cancer after their ovaries have been removed (relevant for me, I am one such person) - despite this it is none the less accurate to say ovarian cancer affects people with ovaries.

Actually, endometriosis can continue to affect women after the uterus has been removed.
so it isn’t even accurate to say ‘people with a uterus’.

Trans men are well educated on the ins and outs of their physical
bodies, they know they have the body of a woman.
There is a large group of women in this country who don’t speak or read good English, their families are not keen to encourage them to learn, and their health outcomes are worse than the average. I would prefer they are able to read clear easy English and can access medical care.

Transmen know they are female. They don't lose their mind the moment they start 'identifying as' trans.

The wording is pure ideological capture, and nothing to do with the practicalities of ensuring your message reaches the people it needs to.

You may have contempt for your female body, but that is not what medical professionals should be conveying to the people they are supposed to serve.

Girls are people who have a cervix, but they will not need to be called for cervical screening until they reach maturity as adult women.

I’ve never, ever heard anyone in the medical profession talk about ‘a person with a prostate’, ever.

Trans identified women remain female, and they know it. Only female people have a uterus. So why is there a need to obscure the facts of biological sex just to pander to an ideology which is in denial about these facts. And in doing so stripping the vast majority of its service users of their humanity - just so that we can play political mind games for the benefit of a few.

This serves just to privilege the delusions and fancies of the ideologically captured and is really quite dystopian.

It’s not meant to be a factual description. It’s a political signal. Either you feel positive about that signal or negative. I guess I would expect a meeting heralded by that signal to be a tedious experience where the ratio of padding to useful information would be poor.

According to the ONS around 18% of adults have difficulties with reading.

The NHS should be using clear, factual language.

Wanging on about 'people with a uterus' is actively excluding far more people than it is including. Cancer screening could be the difference between life or death.

No, miraculously they seem to allow “men” to be used in these cases

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/

My daughter is this fictional person with learning disabilities. She knows she is a woman but doesn't know the word uterus.

Yes, let's make life even harder and more unfair for her. Fancy always needing someone to explain everything, that's how you have an excellent life, she loves her independence but I know let's make it harder for her.

Just use the word WOMAN.

Write to your GP to point out that endometriosis sufferers aren’t obliged to have a uterus. And in addition that language which reduces women to the sum of their body parts is dehumanising and offensive.

it’s now time to shift the dial back on this by complaining about the bloody obvious.