...the agony of endometriosis

As many as one in 10 women of reproductive age suffer from endometriosis, which is caused when tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts appearing elsewhere in the body, particularly in the pelvis.

In some women, monthly pelvic pain is so acute, they cannot work. Yet many are told it’s normal and patients wait seven or eight years before they get a diagnosis, during which time the condition can become harder to treat, according to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

NICE’s new guidelines state that GPs should refer women for scans if they suffer from symptoms that include pelvic pain, severe period pain, pain during sex, and chronic tiredness; and that even if the scans come back normal, they should not rule out the condition.