Thank you for contacting me about endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a common long-term condition that can have a significant impact on a woman’s life. I believe it is important to raise awareness of the impact on women worldwide.
To provide support, all obstetricians and gynaecologists have been trained in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions; it is a core part of their training. The NHS has published clinical guidelines on the management of endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), to assist doctors.
Through its mandate to NHS England, the Government has set out ambitions to improve the care and support of people with long-term conditions in order to help them to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive.
I agree that swift diagnosis helps to ensure women are able to access the treatment and support that they need as quickly as possible. However, I understand that there are currently no plans to reduce the diagnosis time for endometriosis. Given the highly invasive nature of the diagnostic procedure and the varying degree to which women experience symptoms, it can be more appropriate to treat mild symptoms on clinical grounds and reserve a laparoscopy with its inherent risks for women with more significant symptoms. However, NHS England has developed a service specification for severe endometriosis under the specialised commissioning area of complex gynaecology, ensuring that specialist training is available to support diagnosis. While I know that this will not be what you were hoping for, I would certainly be happy to work to raise awareness of the condition and its symptoms to ensure women are empowered to seek help when they experience endometriosis.
I welcome the work of Endometriosis UK and Verity, the UK PCOS Charity, to raise awareness of these conditions, as well as providing sufferers with further information and access to clinical trials and the latest research. Medical Research is funded through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). In the last five financial years, I am encouraged to learn that the NIHR and UKRI have awarded £8.52 million for research into endometriosis and £6.60 million for research into PCOS. This includes a wide range of projects, from basic science through to applied health research into diagnosis, treatment and service delivery. It is important that women with these conditions play a vital role in this research. I am glad that funding is available for this important area of research and welcome the Minister for Patient Safety and Patient Care’s commitment to working to ensure that funding reaches the places it needs to.
The ambition is that every woman and girl will be able to access the right information, support and diagnosis for menstrual health and gynaecological conditions and ways to improve awareness of and care for those suffering symptoms of these conditions. More detail will be set out in the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy and I look forward to learning more in due course.
