Endometriosis diagnosis unacceptable, MPs warn

The All Parliamentary Group on Women's Health has concluded that women suffering from endometriosis are not being diagnosed quickly enough and receiving appropriate treatment.

The comment comes as more than 2,600 women spoke to the group about the problem, with 40 per cent saying they had seen a doctor 10 times before being diagnosed.

The condition, which affects one in 10 people, is when cells on the lining of the uterus grow elsewhere in the body, usually on the bowel, ovaries or bladder causing chronic pain, heavy periods and painful sex.

The uterine cells acts the same way as they would during menstruation, building up and breaking down and can result in inflammations and the formation of scar tissue, since the cells cannot be dispelled.

The All Parliamentary Group on Women's Health report highlighted that women who present with such symptoms are often dismissed by healthcare professionals, with 42 per cent of women surveyed claiming they were not treated with dignity and respect.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard from the Royal College of GPs, commented: “GPs face two major challenges here - both identifying condition that has very diverse symptoms and mimics lots of other things.

"Also if we were to refer everybody with symptoms that could possibility be endometriosis, hospitals would be completely swamped and that wouldn't help the hospitals or the patients.

"Some patients would have operations they didn't need."

Emma Cox, from Endometriosis UK, commented: “The report highlights some really practical things we can do to reduce diagnose time and support women with this condition.”