Overview
- Endometriosis UK reports the average time to diagnosis in Northern Ireland has risen to 9 years and 10 months, up from 8 years 6 months in 2020.
- A Belfast student says her condition was dismissed as “anxiety” during an 11‑year struggle, with a surgeon later advising her earlier ablation should have been excision.
- The same patient describes a traumatic laparoscopy, recurrent symptoms, disrupted studies, and ongoing severe pain while awaiting further surgical care.
- A 24‑year‑old from York recounts diagnosis only after keyhole surgery, induced menopause at 21, and fertility assessments indicating low hormone levels and a fragile womb.
- Endometriosis affects about one in ten women and people assigned female at birth in the UK, with no dedicated funding, and diagnosis typically requires laparoscopy because standard tests can miss lesions.