The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
The illness explained
As the UK Government opens an inquiry to investigate the challenges faced by endometriosis sufferers, we reveal our own study in which we examine the realities of living with the chronic pelvic condition
Politicians have thrown their support behind a Westminster inquiry into the challenges faced by those suffering from chronic health condition endometriosis.
Sufferers of the condition have been urged to respond to a call for evidence after MPS launched the inquiry last week.
This will see patients and healthcare practitioners share their first-hand experiences and advise the government on what steps need to be taken to ensure people with the condition get the right care at the right time.
The new inquiry, led by the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on Endometriosis with support from Endometriosis UK, will investigate the many challenges facing those with the health condition.
It comes following a study conducted by the BBC which highlighted the potentially devastating impact endometriosis can have – including on education, career and mental health, with around half stating they have experienced suicidal thoughts.
Dundee West MP Chris Law, who signed a motion to raise awareness of the condition in parliament last year, welcomed the launch of the inquiry.
He said: “This inquiry is an important step in not only raising awareness of endometriosis, but also in raising specific issues for those who live with the condition.
“There is a growing public understanding of the condition but it is clear that more needs to be done to help support those who live with it.
“Ongoing access to work and sick pay is just one key area that has already been raised with me by campaigners, and it is vital that people affected by this condition are treated fairly and protected from discrimination.
“I would encourage any constituents who suffer from endometriosis to take part in the inquiry and help build a greater understanding in parliament on the important ways it is affecting their everyday lives.”
Health boards in Tayside and the north-east have admitted endometriosis patients are waiting too long to be seen.
It comes as endometriosis sufferers across the two regions revealed the realities of living with the condition, including long waits for treatment at hospitals in the region of up to a year.
Last week, an inquiry was launched by MPS into the challenges faced by endometriosis sufferers, with patients and healthcare practitioners asked to provide evidence.
NHS Tayside has managed to reduce waiting times for outpatient appointments across its gynaecology department – the department which deals with endometriosis patients – but patients are still waiting six months to be seen.
A spokeswoman for the health board said: “We acknowledge that patients are waiting too long for an appointment.
“As with other boards in Scotland, we are facing recruitment challenges, however, we are continuing to actively recruit to fill vacancies within the service.
“A number of improvement initiatives have reduced our waiting times for outpatient appointments across gynaecology services to 30 weeks.
“Our clinical teams are working really hard to develop further plans which
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It affects one in 10 women in the UK, between puberty and menopause, a similar number of women affected by diabetes. The problem often starts once a girl starts menstruation but because of delayed diagnosis – on average it takes eight years from the onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis – most women will not have a confirmed diagnosis until their 20s or 30s. Causes and consequences of the illness are unclear, but it can often be down to genetics. will continue to reduce patient waiting times.”
Meanwhile, in neighbouring NHS Grampian, patients have also been experiencing around six-month waits to be treated, with the board admitting patients are waiting longer than they would wish.
But improvements are under way with a service redesign being rolled out to create extra capacity for patients.
A spokesman for the health board said: “Waiting times for gynaecology services are improving within Grampian. This is down to several factors including the hard work and dedication of our staff, which we are very grateful for.
“We are also in the process of implementing a service redesign which is already creating extra capacity for patients.
“As we continue to move forward with this we expect figures will improve further.
“That said, patients are currently waiting longer for gynaecology services than they – or ourselves – would wish.
“We are grateful to them for their understanding and to the staff involved for their hard work in managing the waiting lists.”
The Scottish Government was also approached for comment.