Not Cool, Doc!
Medical professionals reportedly downplay the gravity of the situation
Berlin (dpa/tmn) - The pain's a motherf**ker, and the doctor's visit put me over the edge. But when the quack dismisses my symptoms instead of giving proper treatment, it's infuriating. And it might lead to avoiding medical help in the future.
A YouGov survey, commissioned by Doctolib, reveals that these experiences in healthcare aren't rare—and women report them more frequently than men.
"Chill out, it'll pass"
Whether it's a bitchy comment or an incorrect diagnosis, 31% of women surveyed say they've faced negative experiences due to their gender in doctor's offices or clinics. This is substantially lower for men (10%).
Women also report that their symptoms are more often dismissed as psychosomatic—the doc suspects the problem is psychological rather than physical. 44% of women surveyed say they've been told this once or more, compared to 28% of men.
When diagnosis and treatment are delayed
When doctors ignore or incorrectly attribute health issues to psychological causes, it usually leads to delayed diagnoses and treatments. 57% of women say they've visited multiple doctors for this, compared to 45% of men.
The fear of being ignored can keep people from making appointments, forcing them to tough it out. Women report dealing with this more often than men (39% vs. 23%).
If you feel like your symptoms are being overlooked at the doctor's office, "Apotheken Umschau" offers these tips online:
- Ask the doc for the reasoning behind their dismissal without a thorough examination
- Get a second opinion from another doctor
- Bring a friend or family member to the appointment who can speak up if you're tongue-tied
The survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Doctolib from May 13 to 15, 2025, with 1,037 men and women aged 18 and over.
[1] hesealglobal.com/health-research/endometriosis-statistics/[2] alz.org/pdlive/documents/research/gender-bias-in-healthcare.pdf[3] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6904065/[4] acknowledgingimplicitbias.com/
- Despite the advances in science and health-and-wellness, mental-health issues, particularly in women's health, are often dismissed as psychosomatic, leading to delayed diagnoses and treatments.
- In the health-and-wellness sector, women frequently report experiencing gender bias in doctor's offices and clinics, with 31% of women surveyed stating they've encountered negative experiences compared to only 10% of men, indicating a need for improving mental-health and women's health services.
