Womens Health Week 2025 Every Check Matters Protecting Your Future Self

This Women’s Health Week 2025, we’re reminding women everywhere: every check matters. Taking the time for regular screenings and health checks today can protect your future self tomorrow.

As a younger woman, I’ll admit there have been times I’ve pushed my health to the bottom of the priority list. Between work, study, friends, family, and the endless to-do list, booking that GP appointment or following up on a referral has often felt like something I could “get to later.” After all, I’m young, I’m healthy enough, and nothing seems urgent.

But the truth is, health rarely waits until it’s convenient. I’ve learned, both personally and professionally as a psychologist, that prevention and early intervention are the most powerful tools we have.

Women’s Health Week this year reminds us of a simple but important message: Every check matters.

Why we put checks off

 Many women delay or avoid health checks because we’re busy, because we feel awkward, or because we assume “it won’t happen to me.” Sometimes it’s fear of bad news or not wanting to make a fuss. For younger women especially, there’s a sense that health checks are for later in life.

There’s often another layer we don’t talk about enough: bias and dismissal within the healthcare system.

Recent research in Australia found that two-thirds of women reported experiencing gender-based bias in healthcare, with many saying they weren’t listened to or were made to feel their concerns were trivial. Imagine how discouraging it is to finally book an appointment, only to feel unheard. It’s no surprise that many women delay going back.

This isn’t just “in our heads.” System barriers show up in lack of culturally safe services, the scarcity of female GPs in some areas, and the very real experiences of women being told to “just manage” their pain or “wait and see.”

It’s not just physical health

When we think of health checks, our minds often go to the physical: pap smears, mammograms, blood pressure, cholesterol. These are incredibly important, but I also want to shine a light on another side: our mental health.

I see so many women who soldier on through stress, anxiety, burnout, and low mood without stopping to notice the toll it takes. We wouldn’t ignore a broken bone, but we often minimise emotional pain until it becomes unmanageable.

Scheduling a check-in with a psychologist or even pausing to reflect on how you’re coping is just as important as any physical health screen. Mental health is health.