Who are we listening to?

By Cynthia Pearson

Long-time readers of the Women’s Health Activist know that NWHN prides itself on listening to women. It’s part of our fabric. In fact, NWHN grew out of the convergence of feminists whose first forays into activism were prompted by listening to women and valuing their experiences. (Co-founder Belita Cowan’s exposé and Congressional testimony about the exaggerated effectiveness claims for primitive morning-after pills is just one example). It is part of our daily experience running the Women’s Health Voice health information service, and an integral part of our Raising Women’s Voices national initiative to ensure that women’s needs are met in the health care reform process.  Amy Allina’s cover article gives an overview of the health care reform process, and explains how we took care to listen to women every step along the way, from the first small group listening circles, through Speakouts, Teach-ins, rallies, and responses to our e-communications. When we listen, we learn about what women really need so we can work more effectively.

Recently, I’ve also been thinking about who women themselves listen to. Natieka Samuels’ column about the sexual side effects some women experience while taking oral contraceptives reminded me that women often listen to each other. This all-to-common side effect, which isn’t often included in scientific research on contraception, is being talked about by women in conversations with one another both in person and on-line. Conversations like these are often a good way to get information, and it makes sense that women listen to each other when they’re looking for facts about health issues. After all, if you’re a little bit skeptical about the pharmaceutical industry, isn’t it better to trust another woman than a slick drug company advertisement?

Yes, but sometimes it’s not that simple. Rachel Walden’s article on “IUD parties” really opened my eyes to a very clever, and very dangerous tactic used by a drug company: bringing women together under the pretense of facilitating woman-to-woman conversations, but secretly inserting a salesperson in the group to influence attitudes and behavior. Women who came to these parties thought they were just chatting, but really they were being sold and marketed to. And even worse, the phony friend (aka saleswoman) was passing along false information about the IUD’s supposed benefits. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a stern warning to the company responsible for the IUD parties and hopefully they’ve come to a stop, for now.

I’ve also been thinking about who women listen to as I’ve been hearing more about a new drug — flibanserin — that will supposedly improve women’s sexual desire and satisfaction. Results from studies about the drug’s effectiveness and safety aren’t yet public, but already companies are making efforts to stimulate conversations that appear to be among women, but are really sales pitches in disguise. Websites like www.sexbrainbody.com tell women that they need a sexual satisfaction check-up and that too many women don’t realize that female sexual “dysfunction” is an important medical condition. These websites seem to be sponsored by a women’s health group, in the hopes of conveying trust and the experience of women listening to other women, but they are really part of marketing campaigns designed, and paid for, by drug companies. While drug companies sometimes have useful information, it’s hardly the same thing as a trusted woman-to-woman conversation. We’ll have more about flibanserin in an upcoming WHA issue. In the meantime, give some thought to who you listen to.  And remember, you can count on NWHN to continue listening to you, and to be a trustworthy source of unbiased health information.