For millions of women living with endometriosis, the workplace can become as painful as the condition itself. Long before they receive a diagnosis, many endure debilitating pain, chronic fatigue and heavy bleeding while trying to meet professional expectations. For some, speaking up comes at a devastating cost.
Now, a landmark parliamentary inquiry into endometriosis and the workplace aims to expose that reality, and campaigner Sanju Pal hopes it will become a turning point.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis has launched the UK's first inquiry dedicated specifically to workplace experiences of people living with endometriosis. It follows the latest figures from Endometriosis UK showing that the average diagnosis still takes nine years and four months, a statistic that has remained stubbornly unchanged for more than a decade. But for Pal, diagnosis is only one part of the problem.
"This isn't just a healthcare issue," she told Asian Voice. "It's an employment issue. It's about employers, workplaces and employment rights."
Pal knows the consequences personally.
Once a successful management consultant at Accenture, she had built an impressive career, won the Asian Woman of Achievement Award, met the late Queen Elizabeth II and attended events at 10 Downing Street. Yet after undergoing surgery for severe Stage 3 endometriosis in 2019, she returned to work before she had fully recovered. Despite informing HR about her ongoing pain and fatigue, she missed performance targets and was eventually dismissed.
Her legal battle lasted six-and-a-half years before a landmark Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling earlier this year recognised that the original tribunal had failed to properly consider disability discrimination arising from her endometriosis.
Today, that victory has become the catalyst for a much broader movement.
A historic opportunity
Pal believes the parliamentary inquiry represents the first genuine opportunity to understand the scale of workplace discrimination experienced by people with endometriosis across the UK.
"The first APPG inquiry in 2020 focused on diagnosis and treatment. This is completely different. For the first time, Parliament is asking people to share what happens to them at work."
The inquiry was prompted after an APPG meeting last November, where Chair Kirsty Blackman MP invited campaigners to share their experiences. Pal openly described not only losing her job but enduring years of exhausting legal proceedings.
"She listened to our stories and said, 'We need this inquiry.'"
The inquiry is inviting anonymous submissions from anyone living with diagnosed or suspected endometriosis, regardless of age, ethnicity, employment status or profession. Parliament will use the evidence to examine how workplaces respond to the condition and what reforms may be needed.
Pal calls it a "historic moment."
"People are finally finding the confidence to say we will not accept inequality in the workplace simply because we are women living with a chronic gynaecological condition."
Breaking the silence
While public awareness of endometriosis has grown, Pal believes workplace conversations remain clouded by fear.
"There is a real fear that if we disclose our condition at work, we'll be judged, penalised or even lose our jobs." That fear, she says, explains why relatively few people have participated in the inquiry compared with previous campaigns.
When she gave evidence to Parliament on 11 June, around 1,000 submissions had been received. By mid-July, that number had risen to approximately 3,500, still well below the 10,000 responses collected during the APPG's 2020 inquiry into diagnosis and treatment.
"Sharing experiences of workplace discrimination carries enormous shame," she said. "Seven years ago, I didn't have the courage to speak either."
She stresses that submissions are entirely anonymous. "You don't even have to identify your employer. But if we're serious about exposing inequality and unlawful behaviour, people have to come forward."
The last day to submit evidence is Friday, 24 July 2026 at 12pm midday GMT.
South Asian women face additional barriers
Pal is particularly keen to encourage participation from South Asian communities.
Research has shown that while the average diagnosis for endometriosis in Britain takes over nine years, women from South Asian and other ethnically diverse backgrounds often wait around 11 years before receiving a diagnosis.
"Those disparities are unacceptable," she said. "The inequalities don't stop in healthcare, they continue into the workplace."
During South Asian Heritage Month, she believes there is an opportunity to ensure these experiences are properly represented in national policymaking.
Knowing your legal rights
A major part of Pal's campaigning now focuses on educating employees about their legal protections.
Under the Equality Act 2010, endometriosis may qualify as a disability if symptoms have a substantial, long-term impact on daily activities. Where that threshold is met, employers have a legal duty to consider reasonable adjustments.
Yet many employees remain unaware of those rights—or too frightened to exercise them.
"It's easy for someone to dismiss endometriosis by saying, 'It's just a period,'" she said. "But people need to feel confident enough to explain their symptoms, provide medical evidence and ask employers to fulfil their legal responsibilities."
She believes employers should routinely consider occupational health referrals, assess medical evidence properly and make reasonable adjustments instead of penalising employees whose health temporarily affects performance.
For Pal, the parliamentary inquiry is about far more than collecting evidence. It is an opportunity to transform workplace culture so that future generations of women no longer have to choose between protecting their health and protecting their careers.
As the inquiry enters its final days, she has one final appeal: "If we're serious about changing the system, every voice matters."
