4 out of 10 women have felt that they were not listened to and that their symptoms were minimized during a medical consultation.

To mark its 5th anniversary and the International Day of Action for Women's Health, Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes is publishing its first Women's Health Barometer, in partnership with OpinionWay.

One figure is particularly striking: during a medical consultation, 38% of women have experienced a lack of listening or a minimization of their symptoms, because they were a woman. The proportion soars among the under-25s, 60% of whom have experienced this.

The study also reveals that a quarter of French women consider their state of health to be mediocre or even poor.

French women don't take enough care of themselves.

Nearly three-quarters of women say they are more concerned with the health of their loved ones than with their own. Another 75% say they try to look after themselves before going to the doctor.

A third say they have postponed or cancelled an appointment in the last 12 months. The two main reasons given were unforeseen family circumstances (34%) and the feeling that their state of health no longer required it (33%).

The survey also highlights a worrying lack of awareness of cardiovascular disease - the leading cause of death among women in France. 1 in 2 women say they have never discussed these diseases or their associated risk factors with a healthcare professional.

Hygiene, major shortcomings.

- Less than a third of women engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity
every day
- 41% wrongly believe that 2 hours of physical activity on weekends is enough to eliminate cardiovascular risk
- 36% report sitting for 6 hours or more during the day
- A quarter of women claim to sleep less than 6 hours a night on weekdays

Gynecological check-ups should be reinforced at all ages

1 in 5 women say they have no gynecological follow-up, and 1/3 of under-25s have never seen a gynecologist.

Among women aged 50-74 who have received an invitation for their mammogram, 27% do not always or never have it. 16% say they are afraid of hearing bad news, and 27% give no particular reason.

When contraception was first prescribed, only 14% of women received information on the associated cardiovascular risks.

Finally, among menopausal women, 94% say they are not taking hormone therapy for menopause. Of these, 21% say they have not been offered any.

Survey of a sample of 2054 French women aged 18 and over. Online survey from April 2 to 10, 2025. The representativeness of the sample was ensured on the basis of age, region and CSP.

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