(MIS)Treated

Unlike a broken arm, you can't see chronic pain. This makes it complicated to treat or diagnose because it's subjective. This has led chronic pain to be called a "silent epidemic" and while 70% of chronic pain sufferers are women, historically the majority of pain studies have been done on men or male mice. Many people with conditions like endometriosis, PMOS, migraines, fibroids and painful periods, live with chronic pain. And the World Health Organization officially classified it as a disease in 2022.
On the final episode of season 1, Nam Kiwanuka take a deeper dive on the history of pain research, what it is, the implicit bias towards women in medicine, and the research that's being done to combat that right here in Canada.
Nam speaks with Dr. Tania Di Renna, the president of the Canadian Pain Society (CPS) and Medical Director of the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI) and Jennifer Daly-Cyr who has lived with chronic pain for more than a decade and is also co-chair of the Person with Lived Experience committee at the CPS.
Research links
Being A Woman Doesn’t Have To Be A (Chronic) Pain https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaepker/2023/04/05/why-is-being-a-woman-a-chronic-pain/
Women and pain: Disparities in experience and treatment: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562
Mi'kmaw nurse explains how Indigenous pain often misunderstood: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mi-kmaw-nurse-1.5130067
Myths about physical racial differences were used to justify slavery — and are still believed by doctors today: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/racial-differences-doctors.html
Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1516047113
Sex differences in the transition to chronic pain: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12126234/
“Brave Men” and “Emotional Women”: A Theory-Guided Literature Review on Gender Bias in Health Care and Gendered Norms towards Patients with Chronic Pain: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2018/6358624
Yale psychologists find that adults take girls’ pain less seriously: https://news.yale.edu/2019/01/24/yale-psychologists-find-adults-take-girls-pain-less-seriously
Pain medication finally recommended in U.S. for IUD use. What about Canada?: https://globalnews.ca/news/10687785/iud-insertion-pain-management-guidance/
The science that changed how we study pain: https://www.mcgill.ca/science/channels/news/science-changed-how-we-study-pain-372651
Action On Pain podcast takes a closer look at the implementation of An Action Plan for Pain in Canada: https://redcircle.com/shows/action-on-pain
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A recent study shows that autism is almost as prevalent in girls as it is in boys - so why have we been led to believe that autism is something that mostly impacts boys and men? The February 2026 study suggests that the difference, in part, is that girls are often diagnosed much later in life.
On today's episode, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Julie M. Green about what it was like to be diagnosed with autism as a mother at age 44, while also raising a child on the spectrum. She documents this experience in her book, "Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood and Radical Acceptance."
Links:
Towards the equal recognition of autism in girls and women https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s120.full
Everyone thought autism mostly affected boys. This study says otherwise https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260210082921.htm
“I was always on the outside, watching quietly”: Autistic women reflect on school experiences https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03632-y
Hans Asperger 'collaborated with Nazis' in WWII https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43820794
About Autism https://www.autismontario.com/about-autism
Finding the True Number of Females with Autistic Spectrum Disorder by Estimating the Biases in Initial Recognition and Clinical Diagnosis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8870038/
From the CDC: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8214927/
Camouflaging and suicide behavior in adults with autism spectrum condition: A mixed methods systematic review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050656525000124
8 Health Conditions Commonly Linked to Autism https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-autism-spectrum-disorder/202108/8-health-conditions-commonly-linked-autism
10. A Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Neurodiversity and Psychosexual Functioning in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10243356/
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A bill looking to establish a national framework for women's health is making its way through the Senate. What does Bill S-243 look to implement?
In Canada women represent 50% of the population, nearly half of the labour workforce, and make up 75% of health care professionals. But somehow when it comes to women's health, it's considered to be a niche topic. Not only has women's health been historically under researched, underfunded, and misunderstood, women working in healthcare also face additional barriers.
Under the leadership of Senator Danièle Henkel, a coalition of professionals in healthcare, FemTech, and research have come together to try to address gaps in women's health with this new bill.
Today, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Dr. Jennifer Blake from the Pan-Canadian Women's Health Coalition about the bill, why Canada needs a national framework for women's health, the gaps that currently exist, and why women's health continues to be seen as niche.
Links:
‘It’s not my bill, it’s our bill’: Senator Henkel and 50 advocacy groups push for law calling for women’s health framework https://www.hilltimes.com/2026/03/01/its-not-my-bill-its-our-bill-senator-henkel-and-50-advocacy-groups-push-for-law-calling-for-womens-health-framework/493464/
New study finds female family doctors spend more time caring for patients, yet earn less https://www.oma.org/newsroom/news-releases/2026/january/new-study-finds-female-family-doctors-spend-more-time-caring-for-patients-yet-earn-less/
Health workforce in Canada: Overview https://www.cihi.ca/en/health-workforce-in-canada-overview
What’s the plan? New bill before Senate aims to provide a framework for women’s health https://canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/whats-plan-new-bill-senate-aims-provide-framework-womens-health
Federal health minister to launch strategy on men’s and boys’ health in 2026 https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/federal-health-minister-to-launch-strategy-on-mens-and-boys-health-in-2026/
Opinion: Canada’s blind spot on drug safety in pregnancy https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/op-eds/opinion-canadas-blind-spot-on-drug-safety-in-pregnancy/
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What's it like to navigate fertility care as it becomes increasingly profit-driven in Ontario?
Infertility is considered a medical condition by the World Health Organization and in Canada, it's defined by age. A study from 2023 shows that a fifth of men believe that fertility is a "woman's problem," but the science says otherwise. Approximately one third of infertility is attributed to male factors, another third is attributed to female factors, and in one third of couples, there is no cause identified. This is known as unexplained infertility.
One of the key medical interventions for infertility is called in-vitro fertilization – or IVF. IVF has become a big business. In 2023, it was estimated at $50 billion and is projected to double in the next decade.
Today, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka is joined by journalist Caitlin Walsh-Miller and Irene Darrell-Austin, a Toronto-resident with lived experience navigating fertility care. They talk about how infertility impacts families, the growing disparity of who can access treatments and why this industry needs to be regulated.

Links:
The High Price of Hope https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/inside-torontos-white-hot-fertility-market/
Private equity piles into Canada's fertility clinics https://financialpost.com/feature/private-equity-piles-into-canada-fertility-clinics
Disturbing errors at Ontario fertility clinics destroy couples’ baby dreams years after province abandoned oversight plans https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/disturbing-errors-at-ontario-fertility-clinics-destroy-couples-baby-dreams-years-after-province-abandoned-oversight/article_502ba774-1f20-4fb0-b2e3-4fb7780e3e82.html#tncms-source=login
Fertility is not just a 'women’s problem' but a fifth of men think it is, a new study finds https://www.euronews.com/health/2023/06/10/fertility-is-not-just-a-womens-problem-yet-a-fifth-of-men-think-it-is-study-finds
Male Infertility is a Women’s Health Issue—Research and Clinical Evaluation of Male Infertility Is Needed https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7226946/
Yes, men have a biological clock too. But it’s not just age that affects male fertility https://theconversation.com/yes-men-have-a-biological-clock-too-but-its-not-just-age-that-affects-male-fertility-268298
The female scientist who changed human fertility forever https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200103-the-female-scientist-who-changed-human-fertility-forever
Where Is the First ‘Test-Tube Baby’ Now? All About Louise Joy Brown, the First Child Ever Born via IVF https://people.com/where-is-louise-joy-brown-the-first-ivf-baby-now-8748006
IVF: The women who helped make it happen https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6352853/
The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/pope-secret-history-ivf?src=longreads
How IVF has led to a record number of single moms in their 40s https://www.npr.org/2026/01/12/nx-s1-5647761/ivf-fertility-motherhood-40s-cost-donor-decision
Ontario Connecting More Families to Fertility Supports https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1007375/ontario-connecting-more-families-to-fertility-supports
Celebs IVF: All the celebrities who had IVF, from Kourtney Kardashian to Jennifer Aniston https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/g39990713/celebs-ivf/

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In this country, midwives "were once a cornerstone of every Indigenous community." What happened?
Before the 20th century, midwifery was essential for communities throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. With the growth of western medicine in the late 1800s to early 1900s, midwives were instead accused of being unsanitary and unscientific. Midwifery became known as "the Midwife problem," and the practice was phased out and operated in legal "grey zones."
In 1994, after decades of midwives pushing back, Ontario became the first province in Canada to recognize and legalize midwives. In 2024, PEI became the final province in Canada to officially recognize midwifery. If the history of midwives is this complicated in the Global North, what is it like to practice as a midwife in places experiencing civil unrest or conflict?
A new documentary follows five midwives who are doing that work. On today's episode, host and producer Nam Kiwanuka speaks to two midwives, Ximena Rojas Garcia and Jay MacGillivray, as well as Nance Ackerman, the director of "The Delivery Line: Midwives on the Frontlines." Together, they speak about the challenges of the work that these midwives do, but also about the joy of catching a baby.
Links:
Midwifery: A Woman's Labour, A Woman's Choice, 1994 CanLIIDocs 506 https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/1994CanLIIDocs506#!fragment//BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoByCgSgBpltTCIBFRQ3AT0otokLC4EbDtyp8BQkAGU8pAELcASgFEAMioBqAQQByAYRW1SYAEbRS2ONWpA
British Columbia to let midwives prescribe abortion pill and other drugs https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/british-columbia/british-columbia-to-let-midwives-prescribe-abortion-pill-and-other-drugs/article_f4b5639a-847f-5038-98a1-b82fb4208b00.html#tncms-source=login
Indigenous communities across Canada have always had midwives https://indigenousmidwifery.ca/history-strategic-plan/
A Brief History of Midwifery in America
https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/brief-history-midwifery-america
THE MIDWIFE PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/236051
Why Are We Asking Doctors If Women Should Have Midwives?
https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/holistic-healthcare/why-are-we-asking-doctors-if-women-should-have-midwives.html
Childbirth evacuation among rural and remote Indigenous communities in Canada: A scoping review
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187151922100038X
25 years on: What midwifery in Canada has achieved and what it still needs https://theconversation.com/25-years-on-what-midwifery-in-canada-has-achieved-and-what-it-still-needs-120210
The Destruction of Canadian Midwifery during the 20th Century
https://birthinternational.com/the-re-emergence-of-canadian-midwifery/?srsltid=AfmBOoq9ax0eNorpdo1FISNUjB2sOB7TlOFK1Mo79rbISeZ9DLcxZhHN
After decades-long push, P.E.I. now offers midwifery to oversee pregnancies https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-midwifery-services-offered-1.7102229
Georgia bans many midwives from practicing. Now, several are suing the state https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/midwives-sue-challenge-state-restrictions-rcna264951
Facing rural realities and mistrust in hospitals, these women turned to home births
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/freebirthing-rural-maternal-medicine-9.7172199

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