For many women, getting an endometriosis diagnosis has taken far too long. So the news that Healthcare Practitioners could have access to non-invasive tests has been met with real optimism.
These tests could diagnose endometriosis much earlier and have been heralded as “game-changing”. They could reduce lengthy journeys through the healthcare system and offer women answers much sooner. Perhaps most importantly, for many living with endometriosis, this feels like long-overdue recognition that their symptoms are real, their pain matters, and they deserve to be taken seriously.
Endometriosis affects around one in 10 women, yet diagnosis currently takes, on average, more than nine years in the UK. Women from ethnically diverse communities often face even longer waits. There are too many stories of women visiting their GP surgeries repeatedly or attending A&E multiple times – and not being listened to. Many turn to paying privately for investigations, but it’s costly and not everyone can afford to do so.
The real cost of delayed diagnosis
While women wait for a diagnosis, they can spend years in pain, face disruptions to education, work and relationships, experience fertility concerns and see their mental health and identity suffer. The new saliva-based (Endotest) and gut-based tests (EndoSure) could help to spot the condition earlier and reduce the current reliance on invasive procedures, such as needing to have laparoscopic surgery.
A new role for GPs
The announcement fits very timely with the NHS 10 Year Plan too. One goal being to bring care into the community and closer to home. Giving GPs access to these tests not only helps women get answers and the treatment they need sooner, but may help to ease some of the pressures on overstretched specialist services and speed up referrals.
Why the wider system still matters
The tests could make a real difference, but they won’t solve wider issues on their own. The trouble of getting GP appointments, growing gynaecology waiting lists, and the tendency to dismiss women’s pain as ‘just part of being a woman’ all add to delays. Many women see their GP over ten times before getting answers.
Giving healthcare professionals the support they need
Many women feel more comfortable discussing symptoms like pelvic pain or heavy periods with a female GP. But we shouldn’t forget that women GPs themselves are often under considerable pressure. If GPs are expected to take on a bigger role in women’s health, they need to be given the resources and support – like appointment times that are long enough to properly discuss symptoms and adequate training – to make that possible.
Turning hope into lasting change
These tests offer real hope but they’ll only make a lasting difference if they’re backed up by improvements across the wider health system.
