Studies confirm it: Women are being medically gaslit and dismissed far too often, has this happened to you?

Image Credit: Novanth Health

I have heard stories of women being dismissed or not taken seriously when dealing with healthcare and thought they were just individual instances. However, new studies show these are actually common problems.

A systematic review was conducted that focused on women's health care experiences and found that many of the same issues occurred in multiple studies including: clinician bias when diagnosing; having symptoms dismissed or ignored; having delays in getting diagnosed; having negative experiences with health care providers; and having gender bias in clinical settings. Women may work very hard to be taken seriously as patients. This can lead to anxiety, uncertainty about themselves, and a breakdown of trust in the entire health care system (Khan et al., 2024).

A recent UK review of reproductive health similarly suggests that women experience pervasive issues, particularly in relation to menstrual health, infertility and chronic pelvic pain. Women reported that they are told their symptoms are "normal" or not serious enough for further investigation, and many women endure this type of experience for years and stop seeking medical care altogether because they feel they will not be treated seriously or listened to.

This is especially concerning, as it is not just causing delay in diagnosis but also the long-term effect on whether women feel safe to access healthcare in the future.

Of course, not every clinician is guilty of this behaviour, and there are certainly many doctors that do a great job of providing their patients with top-quality care. However, the research cited above suggests that there are some very real & recurring patterns with how clinicians interpret women's symptoms, particularly in relation to conditions that can be difficult to diagnose or understand. As a result, many women may downplay their symptoms and delay seeking treatment until their symptoms become seriously compromised.

Has anyone else experienced this?

References:
Khan, S., et al. (2024). Psychological impact of medical gaslighting on women: A systematic review. ResearchGate

Midwifery Journal. (2026). From dismissal to medical gaslighting in reproductive ScienceDirect