The Project's Susie Youssef reveals crippling health struggle: 'Really important story'

The Project's Susie Youssef has revealed she suffers from crippling migraines during a segment on the gender pain gap, where women's pain is taken less seriously than men's, leaving women around the country suffering.

Susie shared her own experience with pain, telling her co-hosts she has struggled with migraines for years, especially while working.

"That’s an incredibly important conversation to have and some amazing women there who are willing to open up," Susie said of the segment, which was led by Sarah Harris. "I’m a chronic migraine sufferer, I’ve had migraines for years and one of the things that’s particularly hard for me is light sensitivity and my job is to be in front of lights."

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"Oh my gosh!" Sarah responded.

"Sadly you have all witnessed this, I’ve done this show with a bucket underneath the desk worrying that I was going to vomit from a migraine," Susie added. "So it is one of those things that I hope people take more seriously. I’ve been so lucky to have medical professionals that have listened to me and heard me but I have countless friends who have suffered from endometriosis and other issues that haven’t been heard so it’s a really important story."

55 per cent of women believe their pain is ignored

The segment came after a study by Nurofen found 55 per cent of women believe their pain is ignored or dismissed, and 32 per cent believe it's due to their GP not taking their pain seriously.

"Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of girls and women than men around the world; however, women are less likely to receive treatment. Research has also shown that women generally experience more recurrent pain, more severe pain, and longer-lasting pain than men," the Victorian Department of Health has revealed.

According to a study by the University of Miami, when men and women express the same amount of pain, women's pain was seen as "as less intense and more likely to benefit from psychotherapy versus medication as compared to men's pain".

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During Sarah's interview, the women she speaks to share that there is very little research that is done on women, so the knowledge that we have on human health is usually based on studies done on men. This is due to the fact women menstruate, and thus, things can change throughout a research period, whereas men don't have these same hormonal changes that can influence the research.

Viewers shared their own experiences, with one Instagram user writing, "So good to see this finally getting mainstream media airtime. This has been a systemic issue for decades and the average woman has no idea. The message needs to get out to all women to advocate for themselves and ask lots of questions."

"It's about time this issue is brought into sharp focus ... more awareness is much needed. Great piece Sarah," another said.

"Thanks for sharing such an important story," a third added. "As so many woman struggle with debilitating chronic conditions. The exposure and knowledge around these topics are so important."

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