DPCCC membership approved the following resolution at the August 19, 2021 regular meeting.
WHEREAS, common womxn’s health diseases have traumatic, life-altering symptoms; and
WHEREAS, these diseases are rated among the 20 most painful according to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service; and
WHEREAS, the “x” in “womxn’s health” represents inclusivity of transgender and nonbinary individuals; and
WHEREAS, womxn’s health diseases impact all races, cultures, and religions; and
WHEREAS, womxn’s health diseases have historically been subject to bias, myths, and misinformation; and
WHEREAS, symptoms of womxn’s health diseases can include, but are not limited to, pelvic pain, organ pain, brain fog, migraines, gastrointestinal symptoms, and fatigue; and
WHEREAS, youth who experience these symptoms are particularly in distress, and are often dismissed, subjected to “medical gaslighting,” or told that they are dramatic, attention-seeking, exaggerating, or hypochondriacs; and
WHEREAS, youth who suffer from these diseases are often incorrectly diagnosed. Common womxn’s health diseases have a delay in diagnosis of an average of 10 years; and
WHEREAS, on average, endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, interstitial cystitis, and uterine fibroids affect the lives of 1 in 10 womxn; and
WHEREAS, womxn’s health diseases are chronic and cyclical, can be debilitating. Flares of these diseases can cause spontaneous disability; and
WHEREAS, many youth have overlapping womxn’s health diseases; and
WHEREAS, womxn’s health diseases are widely dismissed and misunderstood to be “just a bad period” or “hysteria”; and
WHEREAS, if youth who experience painful and debilitating symptoms from this trauma are not believed, it can lead to future fertility complications, as well as social isolation, negative mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, and school disruptions, including poor test performance and truancy; and
WHEREAS, not believing youth sets the stage for an inner dialogue of self-doubt and low self-esteem, and can lead to permanent disability and future socioeconomic hardship. How and when youth learn about menstrual health, body literacy, and common womxn’s health diseases impacts future health outcomes and can limit accurate diagnosis and connection to quality care; and
WHEREAS, FemTruth Youth is a movement to provide intentional space, education, self-identity, artistic expression, and wellness empowerment due to the ableism and gender bias in common womxn’s health diseases, including, but not limited to, endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, interstitial cystitis, and uterine fibroids, and the stigmatized and gaslit symptoms related to chronic or cyclical pain and the associated negative mental outcomes of not being believed; and
WHEREAS, early intervention is key to quality of life, family planning, and financial independence. An adult who believes a youth experiencing distress caused by a womxn’s health disease can change the course of that youth’s life;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County (DPCCC) recognizes the month of September 2021 as FemTruth Youth Womxn’s Health Awareness Month, and encourages all school officials, leadership, faculty, administration, volunteers, and all other adults interacting with students to listen to and believe the stories of marginalized youth living with stigmatized health trauma, including diseases primarily and more severely affecting girls and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), and to recognize that these diseases contribute to negative mental health outcomes for these youth and have intersectional implications in areas such as education and economic status; and be it further; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution will be transmitted to the author for appropriate distribution.