In a report published on October 19, 2020, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis has found that those with endometriosis are waiting an average of 8 years for a diagnosis, despite over 58% visiting their GP 10 or more times with symptoms, 53% visiting A&E with symptoms, and 21% seeing doctors in hospital 10 or more times with symptoms. The APPG survey received over 10,000 responses from those with a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis living in the UK, and found the diagnosis time the same as it was a decade ago – an average of 8 years. Delays in diagnosing and managing endometriosis can affect quality of life and result in disease progression1. As well as impacting on physical health, 81% said endometriosis has impacted their mental health negatively or very negatively, and 90% would have liked access to psychological support but were not offered this. Only 19% knew if they had been seen in an endometriosis specialist centre, yet 84% of respondents reported bowel symptoms due to endometriosis Over 60% of respondents may be being seen in hospital settings where there is not necessarily the expertise to operate on or treat them effectively. The full report is available on https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/.
