The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women

Explore real women’s tales of healthcare trauma and medical misogyny with this meticulously researched, in-depth examination of the women’s health crisis in America—and what we can do about it.When Anushay Hossian became pregnant in the US, she was so relieved. Growing up in Bangladesh in the 1980s, where the concept of women’s health hardly existed, she understood how lucky she was to access the best healthcare in the world. But Hossian could not have been more wrong. Things started to go awry from the minute she stepped in the hospital, and after thirty hours of labor (two of which she spent pushing), Hossain’s epidural slipped. Her pain was so severe that she ran a fever of 104 degrees, and as she shook and trembled uncontrollably, the doctors finally performed an emergency C-section. Following in the footsteps of feminist manifestos such as The Feminine Mystique and Rage Becomes Her, All in Your Head is an eye-opening and rousing call to arms that encourages women to flip their “hysteria complex” on its head and use it to revolutionize women’s healthcare, which is so desperately needed. This book shows how Hossain used her own experiences—from growing up in South Asia surrounded by staggering maternal mortality rates to lobbying for global health legislation on Capitol Hill to nearly becoming a maternal mortality statistic herself. Along the way, she realized that a little fury might be just what the doctor ordered. Meticulously researched and based on deep reportage, this book explores real women’s traumatic experiences with America’s healthcare system—and empowers everyone to use their experiences to bring about the change that women desperately need.