Trans Awareness Week 2021: serving the whole of the endometriosis community
Endometriosis UK exists to support everyone affected by endometriosis.
Transgender and non-binary people are estimated by Stonewall to make up around 1% of the UK population, meaning about 600,000 people. Endometriosis affects one in 10 women and those assigned female at birth from puberty to menopause, so there are likely to be thousands of transgender and non-binary people with endometriosis.
It is widely recognised that transgender people experience additional barriers to accessing healthcare.* Last year’s Inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis, supported by Endometriosis UK, noted these issues and recommended that “more needs to be done to ensure inclusivity and equality of access to endometriosis services”.
Endometriosis UK has emphasised that point in discussions with the UK Government, and the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have reviewed our language, to recognise that not everyone with endometriosis will identify as a woman.
But we know that we need to do much more. We are planning to engage with organisations which work closely with the transgender and non-binary communities, to discuss how we can ensure transgender and non-binary people feel comfortable to approach us and access our support. This will be a small but important step to ensuring we can support this part of the endometriosis community.
Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK, says: “Endometriosis UK has always been clear that we need to be available to support everyone in the UK affected by endometriosis, regardless of geography, age, employment status, disability or other health considerations, sexuality, or gender identity. We are very aware that the direct and indirect discrimination faced by transgender and non-binary people with endometriosis is something we must address more fully.”
Getting help
Everyone affected by endometriosis is able to access support from Endometriosis UK.
The Terence Higgins Trust and the LGBT Foundation provide lists of organisations and resources supporting transgender and non-binary individuals.
If you or someone you know is transgender or non-binary and is living with endometriosis, we would be pleased to hear from them and understand their experience. Personal stories are never be shared publicly, unless prior permission has been given.
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* For more information, see the National LGBT Survey, this BBC article, or this blog published by the charity Healthwatch.