The State of Women’s Health Might Be Worse Than We Thought–What New Data Reveals

A few social media scrolls might have you believe we’re (finally) in the golden age of women’s health: We track our cycles, talk about hormones openly, celebrate pleasure, and treat self-care like a second job. While we have certainly made great strides, new data reveals we have a long way to go. O Positiv Health’s State of the Vagina Report—a rare, 57-page deep-dive into menstruation, pleasure, menopause, OB/GYN care, and pregnancy—offers an unfiltered look at how women really experience their bodies and the healthcare system meant to support us. Despite all the new technology like cycle tracking apps, conversations around women’s pleasure, and the rise of trends like cycle syncing, the facts show the system is still defined by stigma, misinformation, and gaps in education at nearly every stage of a woman’s life. The age of women’s wellness, it turns out, hasn’t fixed what’s actually broken. Here are key findings the data reveals—and why it matters for your body, now and long-term.

Experts Consulted

At The Everygirl, we believe that wellness advice should be grounded in accurate, science-backed information to ensure our readers can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. That’s why we prioritize consulting trusted, credible experts—so every piece of content is both reliable and empowering.

The Education Gap Starts Early—and Never Really Closes

If you don’t remember learning about your reproductive cycle beyond the fact that women bleed once a month or if you didn’t know much about menstruation before you got your first period, that’s (unfortunately) pretty normal. According to O Positiv Health’s report, only half of women were taught about menstruation before they got their first period. Even more telling, 96 percent said they don’t know the phases of the menstrual cycle at all. For something that affects roughly half the population for decades, the knowledge gap is a serious red flag.

Cultural Stigma Meets Educational Neglect

Experts say the issue starts early thanks to a mix of persistent cultural taboos and inadequate sex-ed. “Historically, menstruation has been shrouded in shame, which contributes to a lack of open discussion,” said Dr. Dawn Mussallem, MD, a double board-certified lifestyle medicine physician and former Mayo Clinic integrative oncology leader. That stigma is made worse by systemic failures in education. A 2024 analysis of U.S. public school health standards found that only 25.5 percent include menstruation in the curriculum, leaving most young students without basic, medically-accurate information from the start. “This lack of comprehensive education means that many learn about menstruation without understanding its broader health implications,” Dr. Mussallem continued.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has advocated for the menstrual cycle to be treated as a vital sign for preventative healthcare, alongside blood pressure and heart rate, because it offers critical insights into overall well-being. “The persistence of this educational gap is therefore not a personal failing but a systemic one, rooted in historical stigma and insufficient educational priorities,” Dr. Mussallem said.

“For something that affects roughly half the population, the knowledge gap is a serious red flag.”

The Ripple Effects of Being Left in the Dark

OB/GYN Dr. Roxanne Pero, MD puts it plainly: “How can women optimize their health—or advocate for themselves—when the foundational education is missing?” Without a basic understanding of how the menstrual cycle works, the ability to spot any warning signs when something may be off is taken away. “Women need the language and confidence to recognize and voice what’s abnormal—whether that’s mid-cycle or ovulatory pain, bleeding during the luteal phase, or a prolonged follicular phase,” Dr. Pero said. “These details are not ‘extra;’ they are often the key to faster diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Education isn’t optional. It’s essential.“

Limited awareness of the menstrual cycle has compounding effects on a woman’s well-being that reach far beyond the doctor’s office. When women lack the knowledge to interpret their hormonal fluctuations, normal cyclical changes can feel random or alarming, fueling unnecessary anxiety, Dr. Mussallem said. Dr. Pero added that this blind spot is also why so many young women turn to the internet for answers, seeking privacy, immediacy, and information they never received in school or during routine healthcare visits, especially when the subject still feels awkward, embarrassing, or off-limits.

On the other hand, a 2022 study showed that improved menstrual health literacy is linked to better health outcomes, including greater symptom awareness and self-management. For example, cycle tracking applications have been shown to improve women’s confidence in managing their health. “By understanding the predictable patterns of their cycle, women can differentiate between normal and potentially abnormal symptoms, allowing for more timely medical consultation,” Dr. Mussallem agreed.

When the System Lets Women Down

“The gap in knowledge surrounding women’s health is a well-documented systemic issue, not an individual shortcoming,” Dr. Mussallem emphasized. “For much of medical history, the male body was considered the standard for research and clinical practice, with female physiology often treated as a deviation.” This gender bias has shaped everything from medical training to research, leading to a system where women’s health issues are often under-researched and misunderstood. So when our symptoms don’t fit the male-centric textbook version, we end up dismissed, misdiagnosed, or with delayed treatment (hi, medical gaslighting).

Shame Is Still Shaping Women’s Relationship With Their Bodies

Sexuality is celebrated openly in music, film, and literature, but behind the velvet curtains, many women privately struggle with sexual confidence and body acceptance. Dr. Pero pointed to a major reason: Most women don’t have a safe place to ask questions, voice concerns, or access comprehensive sexual health education.

Here are the facts from O Positiv Health’s State of the Vagina Report that you need to know: 

• 70 percent of women admit they feel shame after masturbating
• More than half have felt sexually unsatisfied in a relationship
• 58 percent are uncomfortable with how their vagina looks
• 54 precent reported having a lower libido than their partner
• 22 percent don’t become as aroused as they would like

“These numbers don’t reflect a lack of interest in women’s health—they highlight a systemic failure to create trust, education, and truly safe spaces for women to be heard,” Dr. Pero stressed.

The Sexual Enigma

Despite a cultural push toward “sex positivity,” it hasn’t fully translated into real-life experience. Many women still carry deep shame around their bodies and sexuality, Dr. Mussallem noted. And the disconnect isn’t accidental: “This discrepancy exists because deeply ingrained historical and societal messages about female sexuality are not easily undone. For generations, women’s sexuality was often framed in terms of reproduction or morality, with female pleasure frequently marginalized.”

So while on the surface it may look like we’re set up to embrace our sexuality, those old narratives continue to influence how we see ourselves and what we believe we’re allowed to want. Sexual shame isn’t just persistent—it’s well documented, with real consequences for mental health, intimacy, and relationships, as Dr. Mussallem explained.

“Despite a cultural push toward ‘sex positivity,’ it hasn’t fully translated into real-life experience.”

The Cost of Shame on Pleasure, Intimacy, and Mental Health

“Body shame shifts attention away from sensation and toward appearance during sex,” Dr. Pero said. When you’re so focused on how your body looks, it makes it harder to stay present in how it feels. “Negative body image and sexual shame are also associated with lower desire, decreased arousal and lubrication, difficulty achieving orgasm, and increased pain—all effects that are especially pronounced in women.”

But the impact of self-consciousness doesn’t stop at the physical. Dr. Mussallem explained that it’s a significant barrier to emotional intimacy in relationships, with research indicating a strong correlation between shame and reduced relationship satisfaction. Feeling insecure during intimate moments gets in the way of relaxing, opening up, and feeling genuinely close to a partner. Instead of fostering connection, shame creates distance. And over time, it can spill into mental health, creating anxiety and depression and reinforcing a sense of unworthiness that can push people toward withdrawal and isolation, as Dr. Mussallem added.

The Trust Crisis in Women’s Healthcare

Why So Many Women Feel Dismissed by Their Doctors

“Trust is the belief or confidence that someone or something is reliable, honest, and will act in your best interest—even when you’re vulnerable or can’t verify everything yourself,” Dr. Pero said. But for many women, that trust is hard to come by with a doctor. Consider the circumstances: Most new OB/GYN visits begin with a few-minute chat before moving straight into an intimate exam, leaving almost no time for questions or meaningful dialogue. How often do you actually get to talk to your provider while fully clothed? “We are expected to offer deep, personal trust in a system that isn’t structured to build it.”

Between medical gaslighting (where symptoms are minimized, pain is under-treated, or concerns are labeled as anxiety or exaggeration), years-long delays in diagnosing conditions like endometriosis, and a healthcare system so overburdened that listening and compassion are often the first things to go, it’s not surprising that O Positiv Health’s report found only 35 percent of women feel their OB/GYN is “on their side.” All too often, when a woman expresses concern about her health, it’s chalked up to her being “hormonal” or “all in her head.” To make matters worse, Dr. Mussallem said women’s pain is more likely to be undertreated than men’s, a disparity that’s even wider for Women of Color, who face the compounded effects of both gender and racial bias. All of this adds up to a system that too often writes off women’s pain, weighed down by bias, rushed appointments, and decades of gaps in medical research.

For many women, not being taken seriously is enough to question whether seeking care is worth it at all: A 2025 study found that 52 percent of patients with vulvovaginal disorders (medical conditions affecting the vulva, the external female genitalia, and the vagina, the internal canal leading to the uterus) considered discontinuing treatment altogether because they felt dismissed by their providers. 

The Toll of Not Being Heard in Medical Spaces

Feeling brushed off by a doctor can have serious consequences for women’s health. Dr. Mussallem explained that when patients’ symptoms are dismissed, it can encourage women to dangerously delay seeking care, try to self-diagnose, and disengage from the healthcare system entirely. A 2023 study showed that 44.8 percent of women faced at least one barrier to reproductive healthcare in 2021, including dismissive experiences, cost, access, and other logistical challenges. When our health concerns are repeatedly minimized or ignored, it develops a cycle of mistrust and we’re forced to navigate our well-being on our own.

“When our health concerns are repeatedly minimized or ignored, it develops a cycle of mistrust and we’re forced to navigate our well-being on our own.”

What Needs to Change—and How Women Can Take Charge Today

“Yes, healthcare reform is needed—longer visits and more individualized care must become the norm,” Dr. Pero said. But in the meantime, what can women do now to feel safe, heard, and respected in the OB/GYN’s office, and how do we regain trust in a medical system that lacks the infrastructure to support true connection? In Dr. Pero’s opinion, it starts with acknowledging the problem, naming the barriers, and advocating for a model of care that prioritizes time, communication, dignity, and true patient/provider partnership. “We have to demand optimal care,” she said. “Having a physician who listens, answers questions, and takes concerns seriously is not a privilege—it is a fundamental part of basic reproductive healthcare.”

Dr. Mussallem emphasized that medical education requires a complete overhaul to fully cover women’s health—and that funding for its research should match the need. She also called for moving away from the paternalistic “doctor knows best” model toward a collaborative approach where decisions are shared between patient and provider.

So what can we do to take our health into our own hands? Dr. Mussallem suggested a few self-advocacy practices:  

• Track your symptoms: Keep a detailed log of symptoms—what’s happening and when—to provide your doctor objective data at your appointment, making it harder for them to downplay your concerns.
• Bring a support person: Having a trusted friend, partner, or family member with you in the room can provide emotional support, help you feel heard, and ensure your questions get addressed.
• Get a second opinion: If your concerns are being dismissed, don’t be afraid to seek another provider who will listen. Don’t be afraid to ask “why” or “what are my options?” if something isn’t clear.
• Normalize conversation: Try to talk openly about your body, health struggles, or experiences with healthcare providers. The more we share and normalize these discussions with friends, family, or online communities, the more pressure we put on the system to step up.

The Takeaway

We’re not sharing these stats to scare you, but rather to inform, wake us up, and light a fire. Women’s healthcare won’t fix itself. It takes us demanding better education, having open and honest conversations, and building spaces where our experiences are heard, validated, and acted on. Reclaiming control over our bodies and the care we get isn’t just personal; it’s a collective responsibility for ourselves and for the future of all women.

Please consult a doctor or a mental health professional before beginning or stopping any treatments, supplements, or medications. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.

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