Medical Gaslighting, Women’s Health & ADHD: Why So Many of Us Are Dismissed

What happens when you’re both a doctor… and the patient who isn’t being listened to?

In this episode of ADHD Women’s Wellbeing, I’m joined by Dr Liz Murray, a doctor, activist, artist, and founder of Mortal + Strong. After 15 years navigating chronic illness, including lupus, endometriosis, and miscarriage, Liz shares what it’s like to experience the healthcare system from both sides.

This conversation is about what often gets missed, female health symptoms that are normalised, the moments of dismissal that stay with you, and why for many neurodivergent women, why navigating healthcare can feel overwhelming, invalidating, and exhausting.

In this episode, we explore:

• Liz's journey of living with lupus, endometriosis, and miscarriage
• Liz's experience of navigating the healthcare system as both doctor and patient
• The impact of normalising heavy and painful periods on delayed endometriosis and fibroids diagnoses
• The gaps in menstrual health education and what doctors aren’t taught to look for
• The reality of medical gatekeeping and the “micro-traumas” of feeling dismissed
• Why GPs are under pressure to know everything, and how that impacts patient care
• The challenge for women with ADHD may experience in communicating symptoms in short appointments
• How ADHD can make women more sensitive to hormonal changes
• Practical advice for appointments to communicate more effectively
• The importance of self-advocacy in medical settings
• Why a holistic approach to women’s health matters (including diet, emotional wellbeing and lifestyle)
• How we can better support the next generation to advocate for their health

This episode is both validating and practical, offering insight, language, and tools to help you feel more confident advocating for your health.

Timestamps:

• 00:01 - Introduction to ADHD Women's Wellbeing
• 07:41 - Navigating the Challenges of Endometriosis
• 14:11 - Understanding Women's Health: The Overlap of Hormones and Neurodiversity
• 23:21 - Navigating Hormonal Health: The Patient's Perspective
• 37:47 - Addressing the Rift in Doctor-Patient Relationships
• 40:03 - Understanding Endometriosis and Women's Health
• 49:17 - Managing Health Holistically: The Interconnection of Conditions

Support and information on topics raised in today's episode:

The Miscarriage Association Website

The Miscarriage Association helpline and support services

Endometriosis UK Support Network

This week’s episode is sponsored by Understood.org, the leading nonprofit dedicated to empowering the millions of people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. Their podcast, AHA Aha! Shared candid stories about ADHD realisations, including the unexpected, emotional and even funny ways ADHD symptoms can surface!

The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Event Recording is here!

My first-ever ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live event sold out, and now the full experience is available to you wherever you are, whenever it feels right.

Alongside three neuro-affirming experts, we spent four hours exploring the questions that matter most to late-diagnosed women. Get lifetime access here!

Inside the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Live Recording, you'll find:

• Kate Moryoussef on post-diagnosis growth and her gentle framework for what comes next
• Dr Hannah Cullen on the neuroscience of ADHD and why your brain works the way it does
• Hannah Miller on reconnecting with purpose through a neurodivergent lens
• Adele Wimsett myth-busting on hormones, HRT, progesterone and perimenopause

Understand yourself more deeply, feel less alone, and finally access the expert knowledge you deserve. Because every woman with ADHD deserves access to the knowledge, expertise and understanding that for too long simply hasn't been available to us.

To get lifetime access for £44, click here.

Join the More Yourself Community - the doors are now open!

More Yourself is a compassionate space for late-diagnosed ADHD women to connect, reflect, learn and come home to who they really are. Sign up here!

Inside the More Yourself Membership, you’ll be able to:

• Connect with like-minded women who understand you
• Learn from guest experts and practical tools
• Receive compassionate prompts & gentle reminders
• Enjoy voice-note encouragement from Kate
• Join flexible meet-ups and mentoring sessions
• Access on-demand workshops and quarterly guest expert sessions

To join for £26 a month, click here. To join for £286 for a year (a whole month free!), click here.

Links and Resources:

• Find my popular ADHD workshops and resources on my website [here].
• Follow the podcast on Instagram: @adhd_womenswellbeing_pod
• You can connect with Liz via her website (www.drlizmurray.com) or Instagram (@drlizmurray)

Kate Moryoussef is a women's ADHD lifestyle and wellbeing coach and EFT practitioner who helps overwhelmed and unfulfilled newly diagnosed ADHD women find more calm, balance, hope, health, compassion, creativity and clarity.