Dismissal, Delay, and Denial: A Discourse Analysis of Women and People’s Endometriosis Healthcare Journeys

It is estimated that 190 million women and people from across the globe are diagnosed with endometriosis (World Health Organisation, 2023). Despite this staggering number, endometriosis remains an ’unknown’ disorder (Ellis et al., 2023). There remains limited research and knowledge about endometriosis, and there are clear gaps in the literature that seek to understand and challenge the discursive construction of endometriosis within a healthcare system that continues to medicalise women and people's bodies. The main objective of this qualitative study was to understand the role that discourse plays in constructing women and people’s healthcare interactions and subjectivities when seeking a diagnosis for endometriosis in Aotearoa New Zealand. To understand this, a feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis approach was utilised to analyse interviews with eight women and people located across Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis revealed the role of dominant discourses in constructing oppressive meanings and interactions leading to participants feeling that their symptoms of pain were denied and dismissed. This in turn led to a lack of trust in and fear about the healthcare system. Despite this, participants were able to create threads of resistance through counter-discourses created and maintained through making connections with others online. These findings suggest the work needed within the healthcare system to ensure that women and people are active participants within their healthcare to order to address gendered inequities in endometriosis and broader healthcare.