Half of women believe the NHS treats their health as a second-class issue, a survey found.
Some 22 per cent of women agreed strongly with the damning verdict and 28 per cent somewhat agreed, while only 20 per cent disagreed.
The poll also found that one in four female patients (23 per cent) have had a negative experience with an NHS professional in the past two years alone.
One in five said their problems were not taken seriously, with many complaining they felt dismissed or ignored.
And four in ten also said they find it hard to get a GP appointment, and even when they are seen, only half (49 per cent) say the care they receive is good.
The poll also found that one in four female patients (23 per cent) have had a negative experience with an NHS professional in the past two years alone
A doctor talks with a female patient in front of a laptop at a clinic. The survey of 2,000 British women revealed some interesting information
The findings come amid growing evidence of a gender divide in treatment that is also costing the economy.
Praful Nargund, co-founder of the Create Health Foundation charity, which commissioned the survey with pollsters JL Partners, said: ‘The NHS was founded with a mission to provide treatment to everyone.
‘Today’s figures show that we are failing in this mission with women, who are feeling the NHS treats them as second-class citizens.
‘Women taking time off work due to conditions such as endometriosis and heavy periods is costing the economy £11billion a year.
‘We are quite literally paying the price for making women suffer, for not treating their conditions adequately.’
He added: ‘We are standing at a crossroads. We can continue to neglect women’s health, or make the right decision to prioritise the health and dignity of 51 per cent of the population.’
The survey of 2,000 British women found that although almost half (43 per cent) of those who had experienced NHS maternity services said they had been treated very well, 16 per cent said they did not feel their baby was safe in NHS care.
The poll also showed most women (62 per cent) had suffered from a gynaecological condition with almost one in three (30 per cent) having to take time off work.
NHS National Health Service sign pictured in London. Findings come amid growing evidence of a gender divide in treatment that is also costing the economy.
The survey found that although almost half (43 per cent) of those who had experienced NHS maternity services said they had been treated very well, 16 per cent said they did not feel their baby was safe in NHS care
A woman clasps her hands during a discussion with two medical personnel. Last year women’s health tsar Dame Lesley Regan admitted that the NHS is ‘failing women’
But more than one in ten (12 per cent) say they have gone private to get treatment, with the proportion rising to 19 per cent among younger women.
Many blamed NHS waiting lists for their decision with one in three having to dip into their savings to pay for care.
And a third of women said they experience pain that affects their everyday lives, yet four in ten (42 per cent) said the NHS did not provide adequate pain management.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘It is unacceptable that so many women are not receiving the gynaecology and obstetric care they need.
‘This Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, [and] will deliver the investment and reform needed to turn the NHS around, including tackling waiting lists with an extra 40,000 appointments per week.’
The previous Conservative administration set out a women’s health strategy after a series if shocking official exposes at maternity hospitals.
Last year women’s health tsar Dame Lesley Regan admitted that the NHS is ‘failing women’.
And recently, patient safety commissioner Henrietta Hughes warned that female patients are too often dismissed as ‘difficult women’.
