A Cornwall woman turned to ChatGPT after spending years searching for an explanation for symptoms she says doctors attributed to anxiety.
According to a report by The Express, Saira Franklin had repeatedly sought medical help for her health problems but was told that anxiety was the root cause of what she was experiencing. However, after around five years of trying to understand what was happening to her, she turned to an AI chatbot to examine her symptoms and suggest possible explanations.
Why Did Doctors Blame Her Symptoms on Anxiety?
The mother-of-one was suffering from migraines, sweating, heart palpitations, itchy eyes and anxious thoughts. When she shared her symptoms with doctors, they diagnosed her with anxiety, which they believed stemmed from her divorce.
Amid the troubles in her marriage, she initially accepted the diagnosis. As her condition worsened, she even sought therapy to address what she had been told was an anxiety disorder.
However, her strong instinct told her otherwise, and she eventually turned to ChatGPT daily to monitor her symptoms. The chatbot pointed towards a possible hormonal cause.
How Did ChatGPT Help Her?
Five and a half years after her symptoms first appeared, Franklin was diagnosed with perimenopause.
'I started talking to it every day. I was chatting with it like a friend. I was not surprised at all when the diagnosis came because by that point me and ChatGPT knew,' she said, according to The Express.
'I don't want to be cliché and say that AI saved me, but that is emotionally how I feel. I absolutely love it.'
As she began logging information into ChatGPT daily, she asked the AI to monitor the data and identify any patterns. The chatbot identified that her symptoms intensified around her menstrual cycle, pointing towards a possible hormonal connection.
Last year, Franklin printed out her findings to present to her doctor, with the AI recommending specific blood tests she could request.
'I think because of my age they were very apprehensive to look at it, but once I put all of that in front of them they couldn't ignore it or fob me off,' Franklin said. 'It was very interesting watching the doctor learn along with me. There were definitely moments where ChatGPT knew more than my doctor.'
Reflecting on how she felt after doctors finally diagnosed her with perimenopause, Franklin said: 'There was so much relief when I finally got that diagnosis. It all felt worthwhile in the end. It was just a long slog to get there.'
Can ChatGPT Really Diagnose Medical Conditions?
Harvard Health notes that AI chatbots can be useful for exploring symptoms, but their answers depend heavily on the information and context provided.
Dr Adam Rodman, an AI and medical education researcher quoted by Harvard Health, recommends treating chatbot discussions about symptoms as an initial step before consulting a healthcare professional.
"While you can explore new symptoms and potential diagnoses with a chatbot, this should be done only as a first step before talking to a health care professional," Dr. Rodman said.
Another Woman Used ChatGPT After Years of Misdiagnosis
In a separate case reported in April 2026, a Cardiff woman, identified as Phoebe Tesoriere, said she had spent years being treated for conditions including anxiety and epilepsy before turning to ChatGPT after a serious seizure left her in a coma.
The chatbot suggested several possibilities, including hereditary spastic paraplegia. Tesoriere then raised the possibility with her GP, and subsequent genetic testing confirmed the condition, according tothe BBC.
Phoebe Tesoriere's case does not prove that AI can replace doctors. Instead, it demonstrates how patients may use AI to formulate new questions when conventional investigations have not produced an explanation.
