... and new DNA check could help women with painful condition

A PIONEERING blood test that can detect up to 90 per cent of cases of endometriosis has been developed by UK scientists.

The test looks for tiny DNA fragments in the blood and could spare women keyhole surgery to diagnose the condition.

Endometriosis can be very painful and affects 1.5 million women in the UK. It takes an average of 7.5 years to get a diagnosis from onset of the first symptoms.

Experts hope the new test will yield laboratory results within days.

Developed by MDNA Life Sciences and experts at the University of Oxford, the test will be available privately within nine months at a cost of about £250. It is hoped the NHS will also make it available in the not too distant future.

Dr Christian Becker, from University of Oxford, said: ‘A specific, non-invasive test to aid diagnosis is an unmet clinical need.’

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It is the second most common gynaecological condition.