It is one of the most common and least understood diseases out there. It literally robs people of the joy of living, and untreated can bring about much more serious illnesses or death; but the onset symptoms are subtle and look like many other conditions.
It's so common, yet with many variations in individuals; there's really no excuse for doctors not learning more about it, doing the proper tests and developing a good diagnosis and treatment plan.
Yes. All I can say in the doctor's defense is that it was a small town, it was in the 90s, my mother was at that menopausal age, and our doctor was a coldhearted chauvinist who thought all women were hysterical idiots. Oh, he was such a jerk...