Canadian Gynecological Health Survey (CGHS)
Detailed information for 2026 / 2027
Status:
Active
Frequency:
One Time
Record number:
5448
The Canadian Gynecological Health Survey is a survey on gynecological health symptoms and their impact on daily living.
Description
This survey collects information on how gynecological health symptoms impact the daily lives of 18 to 64 year olds whose sex at birth is female in Canada. Symptoms may be related to menstruation, perimenopause, menopause, other health conditions or be of unknown cause.
Survey topics include menstruation, access to menstrual products, as well as symptoms related to menstruation, perimenopause and menopause. The survey also gathers information about access to a regular health care provider, pregnancy, medication use, chronic conditions and gynecological surgeries or procedures.
Survey results will help researchers, all levels of government and organizations develop equitable programs and policies to better support gynecological health.
Reference period: Past 12 months
Collection period: September through January
Subjects
- Diseases and health conditions
- Health
- Health care services
Data sources and methodology
Target population
The target population for the CGHS is all persons whose sex at birth is female who are 18 to 64 years of age (as of September 28, 2026) and living in private residences in the ten provinces of Canada. Excluded are people living in dwellings located on reserves and people living in collective dwellings, such as institutions.
Instrument design
The content for the CGHS electronic questionnaire was developed in consultation with experts in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
The questionnaire underwent cognitive testing through in-depth interviews in both of Canada's official languages, conducted by Statistics Canada's Questionnaire Design Resource Centre.
Sampling
This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.
Frame
The frame for the CGHS is the Statistical Demographic Database (SDD). The SDD is a compilation of administrative data available to Statistics Canada, such as tax data, birth records, immigration data, and vital statistics records. Its purpose is to cover the Canadian population as of the 2026 Census of Population.
Sampling unit
The individual is the sampling unit.
Stratification method
The frame was stratified by province and age group (18 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 to 64), and a simple random sample was selected independently within each stratum.
Sampling and sub-sampling
A sample of 35,000 people was selected using a stratified simple random sampling design. The sample was allocated with the aim of achieving approximately equal precision in each province by age group domain.
Data sources
Data collection for this reference period: 2026-09-28 to 2027-01-15
Responding to this survey is voluntary.
Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.
Data is collected from survey respondents either through an electronic questionnaire (EQ) directly online or assisted by a Statistics Canada interviewer through CATI (computer assisted telephone interviewing). A letter is mailed to the selected person, which contains a code that gives access to the online questionnaire.
A Statistics Canada interviewer may follow up by calling, emailing, or texting the respondent if a completed online questionnaire is not received within a certain period of time.
Proxy reporting (when a selected respondent is unable to answer for themselves) is not allowed.
The questionnaire is available in both official languages and can be completed by interview in either English or French.
The information collected during the CGHS will be linked to the personal tax records (T1, T1FF or T4) of respondents, and tax records of all household members. The information collected during the CGHS will also be linked to the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB, administrative immigration data for all immigrants since 1952 and non-permanent residents since 1980), and the Census of Population. Household information (address, postal code and telephone number), respondent's information (social insurance number, surname, name, date of birth/age and sex) and information on other members of the household (surname, name, age, sex and relationship to respondent) are key variables for the linkage.
Respondents are notified of the planned linkage before and during the survey. Any respondents who object to the linkage of their data have their objections recorded, and no linkage to their tax data, their data on the IMDB or the census takes place. Personal income information obtained from income tax records will also be provided to provincial share partners only with respondent consent.
View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .
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