I recently had reason to ponder (once again) the differences between women and men — this time in relation to their reaction to reproductive health issues, and in particular, the taking of sick leave.

One of my medical abortion patients recently had a horrendous experience (rare, thankfully). She endured two weeks of severe cramping and flooding, followed by a few days’ reprieve, before she started passing massive clots “the size of apples” — her words.