Doctors Dismissing Women: 1 in 3 Say They Weren't Believed

If you have ever walked out of a doctor's appointment feeling like you were not really heard, you are far from alone. A new survey from Gallup and Pivotal, the organization founded by Melinda French Gates, finds that one in three women in the United States say a healthcare provider minimized or dismissed their symptoms or pain. as reported by CNN's Amanda Schupak, who called the research one of the most expansive surveys on women's health and opportunity ever fielded.

The numbers are blunt. In the past five years, 51 percent of women say they had at least one of four negative healthcare experiences, compared with 39 percent of men. About a third were misdiagnosed or did not get a diagnosis at all. Nearly a third left appointments without answers or next steps, and a quarter got conflicting recommendations from different providers. Among women who have dealt with a health condition, 30 percent say they had to push to be taken seriously or to receive treatment. Doctors dismissing women is a complaint women have voiced for years, and this survey finally puts hard numbers on it.

"Women have been saying for years that the healthcare system is not meeting their needs, but systems don't change without meaningful data," said Melinda French Gates, founder of Pivotal, according to the Gallup release. Stephanie Marken, a senior partner at Gallup who worked on the survey, told CNN that getting an appointment is "really half the battle," and that women report negative experiences at a much higher rate than men, including feeling dismissed, having their pain minimized, or leaving without the information they needed.

The fallout goes way past the exam room

The effects follow women out of the doctor's office. Broadly, 42 percent of women say their health caused them to feel they could not do everything they wanted to do in life over the past five years. More than half, 54 percent, report at least one health-related impact on their family life or relationships. Another 42 percent report an impact on their work or career, and 32 percent on their community participation.

Those numbers climb sharply for women who tried to get care and could not. Among women who were unable to get needed care despite trying, 79 percent report an impact on their family life or relationships, 66 percent report at least one impact on their work, and 59 percent report an impact on their community participation. "What stands out in these data is how far the effects of women's health extend beyond the doctor's office," Marken said in the Gallup release. Career stalls, fewer options, promotions that start to feel unrealistic: the survey frames all of it as part of the same problem.

The burden also lands unevenly. One in four women rate their physical health as fair or poor, but that rises to 35 percent of Black women and 28 percent of Hispanic women, compared with 22 percent of White women. Nearly half of all women surveyed, 48 percent, report a current or past mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD. And 54 percent of women who gave birth in the past 20 years report a mental health challenge during pregnancy or the year after. Of those, 57 percent sought care, but just 29 percent described that care as very helpful.

Menopause care looks just as thin. While 74 percent of women aged 45 to 54 report current or past symptoms of menopause or perimenopause, just 51 percent of those with symptoms ever received a diagnosis. More than a third first learned what menopause was only when they started experiencing it themselves, and women say they get menopause information more often from family members and friends than from doctors or other medical professionals.

Young women are doing their own research instead

One finding that should get the attention of anyone under 35: doctors dismissing women extends to contraception care. Among those who sought or used contraception, 56 percent say they have to do a lot of their own research to make informed decisions, and 41 percent say providers do not always share all available options. Nearly seven in ten women ages 18 to 34 who tried to get contraception say they encountered information about it on social media. For context on what is at stake in women's sexual health right now, GenZ NewZ recently covered how fast syphilis is rising among women in Australia.

Money is the other wall. Nearly one in three women, 32 percent, say they skipped or delayed needed care because of cost in the past year, compared with 25 percent of men. Cost is the most common barrier women report, followed by difficulty finding a nearby provider and difficulty finding time for care because of family responsibilities, including caregiving.

Americans broadly say this should change. Six in ten say improving women's health should be a high or top priority for state and federal governments. Majorities back specific goals: safe, healthy pregnancy and birth, access to quality healthcare, access to contraception, and comprehensive, affordable, science-backed menopause care. The survey suggests the barriers start earlier than most policy debates assume. For many women, they start in the exam room, where a visit stalls the moment they stop feeling heard. GenZ NewZ has reported before on what happens when patients get stuck waiting on the system itself.