Six in 10 Americans admit to ignoring symptoms that they don’t find “serious.” According to new research.
A survey of 2,000 adults who were evenly divided by generation and gender said that over half of women were more likely to ignore these symptoms (58%).
This study investigated gaps in understanding knowledge when symptoms that feel “mild” should be taken more seriously.
The results found that 43% of people who ignore mild symptoms such as rash, sleep problems, and digestive problems say it assumes they are not serious.
Men tend to push symptoms, while women fear overreaction
Men are more likely to ignore mild symptoms (46% vs. 38%), while 44% of women say they don’t act on these symptoms because they don’t want to overreact.
Talker Research MD Livethe survey found that the average person experiences pain and pain four times a week, while women are more likely to experience it every day (23%).
Surprisingly, boomer women are most likely to dispel these minor pain and pain than other generations (68%).
“Women’s health concerns are often minimized or misunderstood, leading to many re-examination of their symptoms,” explains Dr. Maggie Williams, medical director of primary care at MD Live in Evernorth. “This is especially common among older women who assume that symptoms are just part of getting older. However, conditions do not always exist in women the same way. If these differences are not recognized, you may miss important warning signs.”
Two-thirds of those surveyed said they were confident in their ability to identify which diseases affect based on symptoms, with 65% of women feeling that their ability to do so is safe.
However, the study also revealed significant knowledge gaps regarding the ways in which certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and mental health issues, exist differently between men and women.
The survey found that the majority did not recognize that conditions like depression (61%), anxiety disorders (61%) and stroke (74%) did not look the same across gender.
Women were not particularly aware that symptoms could appear different for digestive disorders (70%), stroke (68%), and thyroid symptoms (60%).
When it comes to depression, 47% do not admit that women are more likely to experience sleep problems, and even though a further 38% do not cite sadness as one of the symptoms in women.
When asked about acute cardiovascular complications such as stroke or heart attack, the majority of women missed common gender symptoms, including shortness of breath (53%), nausea/vomiting (80%), jaw pain (76%), and fainting (76%).
The study revealed that the way and timing of people decide to act on their symptoms can be influenced by past experiences, especially for women.
Women feel they will wait longer and are not very much believable
Women are more likely to agree that gender must wait long for an accurate diagnosis (46% vs. 38%), with almost half (47%) saying that cultural stereotypes about women influenced their perceptions of how severe their symptoms were.
A third of women were hesitant to seek further care as they were told that their gender symptoms were “normal.”
For one in three people who have previously experienced delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis, they acknowledged that lack of awareness of symptoms contributed to the delay.
In fact, one in eight older respondents admitted that aging has not improved their ability to recognize common disease signs that may have been overlooked when they were younger.
Online access to health information (74%) and social media (56%) made respondents feel more educated, but two-thirds admitted to encountering health information that contradicts what they think they know, including 66% of women.
Additionally, one in five women say that social media health information made them feel more confused about their health.
As a result, almost a third of Americans struggle to trust health information they get from others who are not medical professionals (31%).
“Misinformation and conflicting advice can make it difficult for people to trust what they are experiencing,” says Dr. Williams. “Online resources can provide general guidance, but there is no alternative to talking to a trusted board-certified physician who can assess symptoms in the right context and ensure that they are not overlooked or rejected.”
Research method:
Talker’s survey examined 2,000 Americans split equally by generation and gender. The investigation was commissioned by MD Live Managed and implemented online by Talker Research February 19th to February 26th, 2025.
