Something strange is going on at the Yale Fertility Center. Dozens of women report severe pain during their egg retrieval. They find it impossible to lie still, cry out, and ask in vain for more medication. The doctors look uncomprehending, after all, the procedure should be painless, and do nothing. The intelligent and articulate women, all of them, start to think that it is up to them. Their bodies must be weaker than the others, they tell themselves. Even when the cause of their complaints becomes known, the women are left full of doubt and confusion. With this hair-raising case study, Serial and The New York Times how persistent misunderstandings about women’s health problems arise – and are maintained.
A version of this article also appeared in the July 8, 2023 newspaper.