Medical Gaslighting in Women’s Health
Delays in diagnosing women’s health conditions are a growing concern in the UK healthcare system. For instance, 2026 data from Endometriosis UK shows that the average time to receive a diagnosis in the UK has now reached 9 years and 4 months, up from 8 years in 2020. Research by King Edward VII's Hospital points to millions of women waiting for diagnosis, and a recent BBC report revealed that gynaecology waiting lists have doubled since 2020. Whilst a large proportion of these delays are due to limited resources and capacity, the patients involved are often left in pain and without answers. A separate concern is when patients are left with symptoms dismissed, minimised or attributed to other factors before further investigation takes place.
These experiences are often described as medical gaslighting, and many women describe feeling dismissed and doubting or questioning their own symptoms, sometimes unable to work and feeling profoundly let down by the system they turned to for help.
It is undeniable that most medical professionals are motivated to assist and support patients and do so. Clear communication and patients advocating for themselves will help further ensure concerns are discussed and addressed.
However, when delays lead to avoidable harm, they may raise questions about potential medical negligence. In cases of medical gaslighting in women’s health, if repeated dismissal of symptoms falls below a reasonable standard of care, this can move beyond poor communication and into a failure to properly investigate a patient’s condition. The consequences of diagnostic delay can be serious.
The medical negligence solicitors at JMW support women who have experienced harm following delayed diagnosis. In this blog, we explore how gender bias can contribute to delayed diagnoses in women’s health across a range of issues.
Gender Disparities in Healthcare
Gender disparities in healthcare do not usually arise from a single decision or interaction. Instead, they develop from a combination of historical, structural and clinical factors within the healthcare system.
For decades, medical research and clinical trials relied heavily on male participants. As a result, the ways diseases present in women’s bodies have not always been fully understood. Researchers have since highlighted that symptoms of many conditions, including heart disease, autoimmune disorders and chronic pain conditions, can appear differently in women than in men. When medical training and diagnostic guidelines are based largely on male presentations of disease, this can make recognition more difficult.
This gap in knowledge can directly influence how symptoms are interpreted in clinical settings. When symptoms do not match the patterns most commonly associated with disease - patterns historically based on male presentations - there's a risk that medical professionals may attribute symptoms to stress, anxiety or hormonal factors rather than pushing for further clinical investigation.
Gender bias can also play a role. Recent research from King’s College London analysing more than 20,000 hospital discharge records found that women reporting pain were significantly less likely than men with the same symptoms to receive pain relief. The study showed that women’s pain was taken less seriously in clinical settings, with symptoms viewed with greater scepticism and less likely to lead to timely treatment or investigation.
These factors also intersect with the realities of modern healthcare. Clinicians' consultation times are limited and diagnostic decisions are often made quickly given the time restraints. Where symptoms are complex, overlapping or poorly understood, this increases the risk that important warning signs are overlooked.
While awareness of gender disparities in women’s health has increased in recent years, often led by charities, researchers and patient advocacy organisations, many women still face long and difficult journeys to diagnosis. Where those delays lead to avoidable harm, medical negligence claims can provide a route to accountability and support for those who have been let down.
How Big Is the Problem?
The long delays highlighted in conditions such as endometriosis are not isolated examples. Research across women’s health suggests that extended journeys to diagnosis are common in a range of conditions.
Studies examining access to healthcare have identified structural factors that can contribute to delayed diagnosis in women’s health. A 2025 review from the London School of Economics found that women often encounter barriers linked to diagnostic uncertainty, limited consultation time and gaps in medical training relating to female reproductive and gynaecological conditions. The report also highlights how male-centred research models and under-prioritisation of women’s health conditions have historically contributed to diagnostic delays and unmet healthcare needs.
The issue has also been examined at a policy level. The Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into women’s reproductive health conditions gathered extensive evidence from patients who felt their symptoms had been minimised or dismissed within the healthcare system. In its findings, the committee used the term “medical misogyny” to describe patterns where women’s symptoms are not always investigated with the same urgency as those of male patients.
A timeline of how women’s symptoms have been misunderstood or overlooked throughout history
- 4th Century BC
The term “hysteria” is coined by Greek physicians, derived from hysteria (uterus). They believed the uterus could detach and wander throughout the body, causing illnesses, with treatment involving marriage and pregnancy to “anchor” the organ. [1]
- 2nd Century AD
Roman physicians reject the “wandering womb” theory, but continue to view the uterus as the source of hysteria, believing it creates poisonous secretions if not used for reproduction. [2]
- Middle Ages
Medical views of “hysteria” are now intertwined with religious views, with symptoms often misinterpreted as demonic possession or witchcraft, leading to the torture and death of women. [3]
- 16th–17th Centuries
Although some physicians begin to view “hysteria” as a mental rather than demonic disorder, the diagnosis remains a catch-all for any unexplained physical or mental distress in women. [4]
- Mid-1800s
Menopause is framed as a time of impending madness, with gynaecological conditions often treated with extreme, non-consensual surgeries, such as clitoridectomy. [5]
- Late 1800s
“Rest cures” are developed to treat hysteria, involving isolation and denial of intellectual activity for emotional distress, famously documented in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. [6]
- Early 1900s
Sigmund Freud links so-called hysteria to repressed trauma, but the diagnosis remains overwhelmingly aimed at women. [7]
- 1960s–1970s
Following tragedies such as thalidomide, researchers became cautious about including women of child-bearing age in clinical trials. As a result, many medical studies focused primarily on male participants, leaving major gaps in understanding how diseases and treatments affect women. [8]
- 1980
Hysteria is officially removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), but the belief in women as “unreliable narrators” of their own pain persists.[9]
- 1991
Dr Bernadine Healy publishes “The Yentl Syndrome,” showing that women receive lesser care for heart attacks because their symptoms differ from the male standard. [10]
- Mid-1990s
Up to 40% of menopausal women are prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT), often without adequate evidence of safety, which is later found to increase cancer and heart disease risks. [11]
- 1990s
Research begins to examine gender disparities in medicine, including differences in pain treatment and the emergence of the term “gender pain gap”. [12]
- 2000s
Patient advocacy groups and researchers increasingly highlight the long delays many women face before receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis. [13]
- 2018
Large-scale patient surveys highlight widespread reports of women feeling dismissed or not listened to when seeking medical care. [14]
- 2018–2019
Studies highlight that 8 out of 10 drugs removed from the market in previous years were due to severe adverse effects in women. [15]
- 2024–2025
UK Parliament inquiries conclude that “medical misogyny” remains embedded in healthcare, with symptoms often dismissed, leading to traumatic, non-consensual, or delayed treatment. Image: Interior shot of the houses of parliament in full session. [16]
How Dismissal of Symptoms Can Affect Women’s Health
When symptoms are not properly investigated, the consequences can extend far beyond the initial health concern. For many women, a delayed diagnosis means living with pain or unexplained symptoms for years while continuing to search for answers.
Over time, this can affect multiple areas of a person’s life. Physical symptoms may worsen, conditions progress, and treatment options become more complex by the time diagnosis is made. In some cases, delays may also affect fertility or long-term health outcomes.
Delayed diagnosis can lead to:
- Worsening pain or ongoing chronic symptoms.
- The need for more complex or invasive treatment later on.
- Fertility complications linked to untreated reproductive health conditions.
- Prolonged uncertainty about the cause of symptoms.
- Psychological harm associated with repeated dismissal of concerns.
Beyond the physical impact, many patients describe the emotional toll of feeling that their symptoms are not being taken seriously. When someone repeatedly seeks medical help but leaves appointments without answers, it can lead to frustration, loss of trust in the doctor–patient relationship and doubt about their own experience of pain.
The vast majority of healthcare professionals work hard to provide good care in a demanding system. However, when symptoms are raised repeatedly but not fully investigated, delays have lasting consequences for a patient’s health and quality of life. In some situations, those consequences amount to avoidable harm.
When Medical Gaslighting May Become Medical Negligence
Medical negligence occurs when a healthcare provider fails to provide treatment that meets a reasonable professional standard, and that failure causes harm. In legal terms, several elements must be established:
- Duty of care: doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals must assess symptoms and provide treatment according to accepted medical standards.
- Breach of duty: a breach may occur if symptoms are not properly investigated, referrals are not made when necessary, or warning signs are overlooked.
- Causation: it must be shown that the failure to investigate or treat symptoms led to additional harm or worsened the condition.
- Damage: the person must have experienced physical or psychological injury as a result.
Not every delayed diagnosis amounts to medical negligence. However, where symptoms were repeatedly dismissed without appropriate examination or investigation, and this led to avoidable harm, a legal claim may be possible.
How JMW Investigates Medical Negligence Claims
When someone contacts JMW with concerns about their medical care, one of the first things we do in the medical negligence claims process is to look carefully at what happened and how the treatment was provided.
This process usually involves gathering detailed evidence so a clear picture can be formed. Medical records, appointment notes, diagnostic test results and information about conversations with doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals may all be reviewed.
Our specialist clinical negligence solicitors examine this information and, where appropriate, seek opinions from independent medical experts. These experts assess the care provided and consider whether it met an acceptable professional standard, as well as whether any delay in diagnosis or treatment may have caused additional harm.
JMW’s clinical negligence team includes solicitors accredited by the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Panel and the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) specialist panel. The team has a strong track record of investigating complex claims, including cases where women have experienced harm after their symptoms were dismissed or diagnosis was delayed.
Support and Information for Women’s Health Concerns
If you feel your symptoms have been dismissed, there are several specialist organisations that offer emotional support and practical advice.
- Endometriosis UK - information, advocacy and support for people living with endometriosis.
- Women’s Health Concern - advice on menopause and hormonal health.
- NHS guidance on women’s health conditions - information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
Accessing reliable information and speaking with organisations that understand the barriers women can face when seeking medical help can help people feel more informed and supported as you seek answers about your health.
When to Seek Legal Advice
Everyone deserves to have their symptoms taken seriously when seeking medical care. Most doctors and nurses work hard to provide high-quality treatment in demanding conditions, but there are occasions where failures in diagnosis or investigation lead to avoidable harm.
If you believe your symptoms were repeatedly dismissed and this resulted in a delayed diagnosis or further injury, speaking with a solicitor experienced in medical negligence can help you understand your options. Our team will take your concerns seriously, so call us today on 0345 872 6666 or fill in our online contact form to request a call back.
