I agree with Endometriosis UK that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) Guideline on endometriosis diagnosis and management (NG 73) needs to be updated.

As Endometriosis UK notes, the current NICE guidance on endometriosis could be improved on three fronts:

• Improving access to pain management, which is lacking even though endometriosis is recognised by NICE as a chronic pain condition.
• Creating care pathways for endometriosis outside the pelvic area e.g. thoracic endometriosis.
• Making mental health support available, because endometriosis can have a detrimental effect on mental health.

The Government should be asking NICE to update NG 73 to address these issues.

In addition to updating the guidelines, there is still much room for improvement when it comes to speeding up the diagnosis of endometriosis.

A 2020 report by the APPG on Endometriosis found that those affected are waiting an average of eight years for a diagnosis, despite over half of people visiting their GP ten or more times with symptoms or presenting to A&E. This is something that I have previously raised with Ministers to no avail.

Endometriosis affects one in ten women and those assigned female at birth, yet the suffering associated with it is often private and unseen, and flies under the diagnostic radar.

I have written to the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, and asked him to improve the diagnosis of endometriosis, and to ask NICE to update their guidance on endometriosis. I have posted a copy of this letter for you to see.