GPs are wrongly dismissing woman’s painful womb condition endometriosis as period pains, report finds

THOUSANDS of women with a painful womb condition are not receiving specialist care, a report says.

According to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health many are often dismissed by GPs as imagining their symptoms.

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It found about 40 per cent of those with endometriosis visit their doctor ten times before they are referred to a specialist.

The report noted for 10 per cent of women it takes 15 years of seeking help to become diagnosed.

The group interviewed 2,600 women who had suffered with the chronic condition and produced a 51-page report.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition which occurs when tissue which behaves like the lining of the womb is found outside of the womb – in areas of the body including the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, the abdomen and the bladder.

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The exact cause of the condition isn’t known, but it’s thought it could be hereditary or due to environmental factors – namely the presence of dioxins in the environment.

Endometriosis can sometimes cause damage to the Fallopian tubes or ovaries, leading to fertility problems. Other complications can include painful ovarian cysts and adhesions – areas of tissue which can fuse organs together.

One affected woman told the report’s authors: "I was dismissed by my GP so many times over so many years that I started to even doubt myself.

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Paula Sherriff, the MP for Dewsbury, who chaired the all-party group, said: "The statistics in this report show that women are all too often dismissed by healthcare professionals when discussing their symptoms and choices.

"The fact that almost 50 per cent of women did not feel that they were treated with dignity and respect is appalling."

NHS England told : "The NHS takes women’s health and satisfaction with services provided extremely seriously, and will carefully consider the report."

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