"Still Hysterical?": Endometriosis and the Gendered Failure of Medicine

In this paper we examine the persistent diagnostic delays in endometriosis as emblematic of a broader, gendered failure within contemporary medicine. Despite affecting approximately one in ten women of reproductive age, endometriosis remains underdiagnosed, with an average delay up to ten years. This paper situates such delays not solely in clinical complexity, but within a historical and epistemic lineage of medical disbelief toward women’s pain. From the ancient concept of the “wandering womb” to modern dismissals of menstrual suffering, we trace how structural biases and androcentric models of care continue to shape diagnostic practices. Drawing on historical analysis and current health policy data, we argue that diagnostic encounters are not merely technical acts, but ethical moments in which credibility, recognition, and justice are at stake. We propose a reframing of diagnostic responsibility through the lens of epistemic justice, reproductive autonomy, and gender-sensitive care.