The State of Medical Gaslighting 2021-2023

72% of millennial females felt gaslighted by a medical
professional

Caring about our health shouldn’t feel like a guilt trip.

Stepping into a doctor’s office as a woman is a vulnerable experience. According to our recent survey — one thing still hasn’t changed: women feel dismissed and exposed at the doctor’s office.

So we teamed up with medical experts, patients, and reproductive tech companies to bridge the gaps. 

Getting gaslighted — what does it feel like?

Gaslighting: when someone in a position of power
invalidates your thoughts, feelings, or emotions by
making you question your reasoning and mental sanity.

of people* believe they experienced medical gaslighting at some point.

of female* respondents say medical gaslighting was more severe due to their gender.

But it feels different for everyone

Map of Medical Gaslighting Per State

Q: Have you experienced medical gaslighting by
a doctor?

Here’s the percentage of participants who did. 

Imagine having to prove what your body is
going through

of American women felt their doctor ignored, dismissed or minimized the severity of their concerns.

women have been told by a doctor that their physical symptoms are simply due to stress.

women were told they needed to lose/gain weight to feel better.

This isn’t happening now—it has been
going on for years

Women receive 25% fewer painkillers in emergency rooms and hospitals compared to men

Women are diagnosed with cancer 4 years later than men

Women are referred to mental health professionals 4x more often than men when facing physical symptoms.

Women receive 25% fewer painkillers in emergency rooms and hospitals compared to men

Women are diagnosed with cancer 4 years later than men

Women are referred to mental health professionals 4x more often than men when facing physical symptoms.

It is normal and doesn't need medical
management.

This is what 8 out of 10 participants heard from their healthcare provider when sharing concerns about their symptoms.

This is how some women feel after visiting their fertility doctor:

Confused, frustrated, and unsure of what to do next.

Ignored or dismissed.

Guilty.

Stereotyped or discriminated.

But where are the gaps?
We asked the patients.

Why do patients think some doctors are dismissive? Here are their thoughts**:

lack of health testing of patients

lack of reproductive health research in general

think it’s due to incompetence or professional mistakes

Taking back control

52%

of patients said they wanted to take control of their symptoms and treatments to feel more involved, and 83.8% would like to track their hormone levels independently.**

Technology as an empowering tool

51% of Gen Z and 44% of Millenials* use technology for health
monitoring and testing:

Physical activity tracking

Heart/pulse rate tracking

Sleep monitoring

At-home testing kits

Tools for managing chronic illnesses/conditions

Becoming our own advocates

Having the right tools helps to prove what’s happening in the patients’ bodies.

Learn how to advocate for yourself at the doctor's office.

3 practical tips to get the most out of your doctor visits.

We want to help doctors close the gap

What patients can do…

Doctors' thoughts about medical gaslighting.

We’re here to help make a difference

Mira is acts like an at-home mini lab which reveals real-time hormone data. More than 50K people have chosen Mira to guide their journey. 

An Independent clinical study shows that patients testing hormones with Mira felt more empowered.

A study done by the Olive Fertility Center, proved that at-home hormones testing devices like Mira may improve the fertility patient experience compared with a traditional approach.

Our technology matches lab-grade accuracy, and it is chosen by independent OB/GYNs, fertility clinics and researchers.

See what medical experts are saying about Mira

Methodology