I wanted to reflect on last week’s publication of the renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England. It feels, on balance, like a hopeful moment for endometriosis. There is real ambition in the document, and it is encouraging to see a clear acknowledgment that too many women have been dismissed, not listened to, and let down by a system that hasn’t taken their symptoms seriously enough. The fact that endometriosis is explicitly referenced, including the stark reality that diagnosis still takes an average of 9 years and 4 months, matters.
That prominence hasn’t happened by accident. It reflects years of campaigning by Endometriosis UK and others to push this condition up the political agenda. It also comes off the back of a busy Endometriosis Action Month, where supporters like you have helped shine a light on the scale of the problems, leaving politicians in no doubt about the need for change.
There is a lot to welcome. The focus on reducing gynaecology waiting times, redesigning pathways for heavy periods, and investing in menstrual health education all point in the right direction. The shift towards more community-based care, and better recognition of symptoms like pelvic pain and heavy periods, could make a real difference over time. There are good intentions here, and some solid building blocks for progress.
But the real test will be delivery. What’s still missing is the level of detail needed to be confident that things will change quickly enough. There is no clear national target to bring diagnosis times down, no fully developed plan to expand specialist capacity, and not yet a strong enough commitment on training healthcare professionals to recognise symptoms earlier. This plan also relies on workforce planning and capacity, and the biggest building block - funding.
So while this is definitely a positive step, it’s not the end of the story. Endometriosis UK will continue to push for the changes needed to turn ambition into action. Thank you for your continued support, and we’ll be in touch soon with more ways you can help. For those waiting years for answers, progress can’t come soon enough.
