Contribution
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd.
I congratulate the hon. Member for Ipswich (Jack Abbott) on bringing this important debate to this Chamber, and I thank all the women who have campaigned on this issue, especially those in the Public Gallery today, for their tireless work to make us all aware of this crippling condition.
In the UK, endometriosis now takes an average of almost 10 years to diagnose, leaving many women in terrible pain after repeated GP visits and long waits for referral. One of my staff members has endometriosis and with her permission I will share part of her story, because it reflects what too many women across the country still endure; indeed, we have heard many such stories in Westminster Hall today. Having a debate on the issue in this Chamber is not only about raising awareness but about taking away stigma, allowing women to really talk about what they experience, and not make them feel that they are making it all up.
For years, my staff member experienced pain so severe that she would sometimes lie on the bathroom floor shaking, nauseated and unsure whether or not she needed urgent medical help, yet she was too embarrassed to explain what was happening because it was connected to her period. She was told more than once by GPs that her symptoms could be caused by anxiety, or that perhaps she had a low pain tolerance. She began to doubt herself. Too often, pain linked to menstruation is minimised, normalised or treated as something that women should simply tolerate.
It was nearly a decade before my staff member received a diagnosis of endometriosis. She described repeated appointments, invasive tests and endless battles just to be referred for scans. It was only when a young female GP finally listened and believed her that things changed. When she finally received her diagnosis, she cried, not because she was frightened but because she was finally being believed. Even then, the diagnosis came with no explanation of what it meant for her future. There was no discussion of fertility and no real guidance on managing a chronic condition that had already shaped years of her life. As we have already heard today, her experience is not unusual, and I know there are many other similar stories out there.
Endometriosis UK’s latest report found that 39% of respondents had to visit their GP 10 or more times before their GP even suspected that they had endometriosis. Almost 50% of those attending hospitals with endometriosis were sent home without treatment. How shocking is it that nearly half of women who go to hospital because of endometriosis leave with no help whatsoever?
Endometriosis is a progressive condition. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can mean worsening pain, damage to organs such as the bowel or bladder, and for some women severe consequences for their fertility. Every year of delay allows the condition to progress, making treatment more complex and outcomes worse. Some women in their 20s are left facing hysterectomies; some require bowel surgery or even a stoma, because the condition has advanced unchecked. Also, diagnosis is significantly less likely for women of colour, for women born outside the UK and for women whose main language is not English.
However, delayed diagnosis is only one part of the problem. Access to treatment is also constrained by the wider crisis in gynaecology services. Over 500,000 women are now on gynaecology waiting lists, which have grown faster than the waiting lists for any other condition. Again, we should ask ourselves the question, why might that be?
While women sit on waiting lists, they continue trying to work through pain that is often invisible to others. My staff member described the awkwardness of explaining why she was unwell, because women’s health still faces so much stigma. That taboo has real consequences. Research suggests that 80% of women who take time off work because of period health issues do not tell their employers the real reason. Women are managing serious pain in silence because they fear embarrassment, disbelief or being seen as less capable than other employees.
An Office for National Statistics study published last year found that women diagnosed with endometriosis experienced lower earnings and reduced employment over time. Amelia, one of my Bath constituents, described to me living with symptoms since the age of 12. She described her struggles to manage a full-time job with the condition. Amelia asked one simple question: “If this was your daughter, what would you do?”
As the Government review the women’s health strategy, I hope Ministers will ensure that endometriosis is taken seriously. GP training must improve, and referral pathways must be faster to diagnose women quickly and then treat them without delay. Inequality of care must also be addressed. I urge the Government to commit to the Endometriosis UK target of reducing the average diagnosis time to one year or less by 2030 and moving diagnosis and treatment into the community. Let us not wait any longer. Let today be the day for change.