How women are finding health information in 2025
Women are becoming more informed, more connected, and more empowered in their health journeys.
Women’s health is undergoing a quiet revolution — not just in research and policy, but in the way women themselves seek, share, and trust health information. Today’s information landscape is more digital, more social, and more community-driven than ever, and Australian women are leading this shift (Jean Hailes National Women’s Health Survey, AIHW – The Health of Women in Australia). Read more about how women source information.
Digital is Often First
For many women, Google is the first stop when a new symptom appears or a question arises. Searches lead to reputable destinations like Healthdirect: government health portals, hospital websites, and trusted not-for-profit organisations (Australian Women & Digital Health Project).
Callout: “Reliable online sources are a lifeline for women navigating complex health questions.”
Healthcare Providers Remain Trusted
Despite the online shift, GPs, specialists, pharmacists, and midwives remain the most trusted voices (Jean Hailes, AIHW). However, long wait times, short appointment lengths, and experiences of being dismissed — particularly around pain, menopause, and heart symptoms — mean many women now go online first, then seek clinical guidance (National Women’s Health Strategy 2020–2030).
Social Media Shapes Awareness
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are now major channels for information on contraception, PCOS, endometriosis, fertility, postpartum recovery, and mental health (Australian Women & Digital Health Project). Facebook groups and forums remain essential peer-support hubs for women navigating menopause, chronic illness, or pregnancy loss (AIHW – Women’s Health Data Sources).
Femtech is Growing Fast
Period-tracking apps, fertility tools, menopause apps, and symptom-monitoring platforms provide personalised insights, helping women manage reproductive and long-term health daily (AIHW – Digital Health in Australia).
“Apps are not just tracking cycles — they’re empowering women with knowledge about their own bodies.”
Peer experience matters
Women increasingly value lived experience. Personal stories, peer recommendations, and community expertise shape decisions about clinicians, treatments, and services (Jean Hailes, AIHW – Women’s Health Data Sources).
Together, these trends highlight a broader shift: women in Australia are more informed, more connected, and more empowered than ever before — and the health system must evolve to meet this demand (Jean Hailes, AIHW, National Women’s Health Strategy 2020–2030 ).
Visit the Monash Women's Health Alliance website.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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