Women experiencing painful reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding are frequently finding their symptoms ‘normalised’ and their ‘pain dismissed’ when seeking help, a new report by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has warned.
A report by the Women and Equalities Committee, focusing on women's reproductive health conditions, has found that accessing diagnosis and treatment can take years, leaving women and girls to endure pain and discomfort that interferes with every aspect of their daily lives — including their education, careers, relationships and fertility — while their conditions worsen. Many are resorting to expensive private healthcare.
Pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological health, a lack of education and 'medical misogyny' has contributed to poor awareness of these conditions, the report concluded. This is mirrored, it added, in a lack of medical research, treatment options, specialists, and the de-prioritisation of gynaecological care as evident by waiting lists, which have grown faster than any other specialty in recent years.
The report cites a "clear lack of awareness and understanding of women's reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners", particularly when those conditions occur in young women and girls. It called on the NHS to "urgently implement a training programme to improve the experience" of accessing treatment and diagnosis for women and girls with reproductive ill health. Improving early diagnosis, including through the provision of follow up appointments, must be a priority to prevent a deterioration of symptoms.
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