Between delayed consultations, self-medication and sending sensitive data to conversational bots, the youngest appear particularly exposed. Deciphering a silent shift, where economic constraints and health vulnerability intertwine.
When the cost of living redesigns care pathways
Health should remain a sanctuary. However, in everyday life disrupted by price increases, it sometimes becomes an adjustment variable. In February 2026, the brand specializing in intimate well-being INTIMINA publishes the results of a survey conducted among 3,000 women aged 20 to 50 in France, the United Kingdom and Italy (1,000 per country). The objective: to measure the impact of the crisis linked to the rising cost of living on intimate health behaviors.
And the numbers speak for themselves.
- More than half of the women surveyed (55%) say they would prefer to turn to free artificial intelligence tools to obtain a diagnosis, knowing that these tools have an error rate estimated at 20%;
- One in two (50%) say they have avoided making an appointment with their GP or picking up a prescribed medication in order to avoid costs;
- Four in ten women admit to waiting until symptoms become serious before purchasing treatment.
The barrier is not only financial.
- Long waiting times (22%), the feeling of being abandoned by doctors (13%) and the overall cost of care contribute to this distancing from the health system;
- Nearly one in ten women say they turn to AI or self-medication because private medicine is too expensive.
A gradual shift is taking place. The digital tool, first used to understand a medical term, becomes a decision-making filter: should we consult or not? If inflation persists, 30% of women surveyed believe they will adopt these practices even more in the future.
20-29 year olds, on the front line of fragile confidence
Behind these statistics, one generation appears more vulnerable than the others.
Women aged 20 to 29, an age group particularly exposed to economic instability, are more inclined to trust artificial intelligence. Thus, 36% of them say they give more credit to a diagnosis delivered by AI than to a face-to-face consultation with a doctor. Among 40-50 year olds, this proportion drops to 26%.
Even more troubling: 40% of women in their 20s say they are willing to send photos of their symptoms or extremely sensitive data, like their sexual history, to AI bots for a free diagnosis. Among those over 40, they are 29%.
For 34% of 20-29 year olds, AI is already used to “understand if their symptoms were serious enough to seek medical attention.”almost twice as much as among those over 40 (18%).
This recourse is not necessarily synonymous with blind adherence to technology. It also reflects worry, hesitation, sometimes loneliness in the face of intimate symptoms. Pelvic pain, urinary burning, unusual discharge: so many signals that are difficult to verbalize, even more difficult to expose when you fear not being able to afford the cost of a consultation.
The AI then appears as an airlock, a space without judgment and without immediate invoice. But this digital refuge can become a trap.
Self-medication, rationed protection: the hidden price of savings
The survey highlights practices with concrete consequences.
Last year, nearly one in two women reported often or sometimes using leftover medications or over-the-counter treatments before getting a new professional diagnosis. Among those who self-diagnosed, 13% indicated that their health problem had become more difficult to treat, and 9% that it had recurred more frequently.
When it comes to intimate hygiene, budgetary pressure is also changing habits. Nearly 23% of women say they have opted for cheaper products, at the cost of more frequent irritation. And 11.5% admit to keeping disposable sanitary protection longer than recommended to save money, a practice which increases the risk of infections.
Urinary tract infections and bacterial vaginosis, for example, can have similar symptoms — burning, discomfort, discharge — but require different treatments. Confusion can lead to chronicization, persistent pain and, ultimately, heavier and more expensive care.
Dunja Kokotovic, global brand director of INTIMINA, warns: “These data demonstrate that financial pressure encourages women, and particularly younger women, to play “digital Russian roulette” with their health. AI is a useful tool for understanding medical jargon. However, it is dangerous to trust it more than your doctor or to use it to understand whether a health problem is “serious enough”. Intimate health problems such as bacterial vaginosis or urinary tract infections may have symptoms in common, but the treatment required is different. “Misdiagnosis often leads to chronic pain and ultimately more expensive treatments.”.
AI can be a useful source of information, but in the event of unusual and/or recurring symptoms, it is necessary to consult a doctor. This week, a study from the University of Oxford reveals that medical chatbots fail when faced with real symptoms. They can give false diagnoses and delay life-saving help.
A collective alert
Beyond the figures, this survey questions our health model. When cost becomes a barrier, when waiting discourages, when the care relationship becomes fragile, technology fills the vacant space. Artificial intelligence can be a valuable educational tool, a support for better understanding your body and medical vocabulary. But it does not replace clinical examination, listening, or therapeutic responsibility.
At a time when social health inequalities are widening, this silent shift towards digital self-diagnosis points out the obvious: access to care should not depend on income level.