Health equality
procedures such as hysteroscopy, IUD fitting and cervical screening. It called on the NHS to do more to monitor and enforce protocols governing such procedures and ensure they are underpinned by informed consent, are trauma-informed and take account of a patient’s medical history and related experience. The NHS, it added, should collect data on whether guidelines for potentially painful gynaecological procedures are being adhered to, including patients’ experiences. The expansion of the women’s health hub model has the potential to be a positive step towards providing the joined-up care and commissioning needed to effectively support women experiencing reproductive health conditions, the report said, adding the Government must now allocate long-term, ring-fenced funding and resource to embed and develop the hub model, including increased provision of ultrasound facilities that can aid diagnosis. In calling for more funding the Committee notes studies which have shown that increases in funding for gynaecology provide a significant return on investment. On research, WEC recommended the
Government should allocate a greater share of research funding to support research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions. While increased funding will in itself attract
more researchers to this area, NHS England and research bodies should also consider what steps they can take to increase interest among clinical academia, it added. The report recommended the Government commits to reducing waiting times for an endometriosis diagnosis to less than two
Dismissal of symptoms
In a 2024 report, based on a survey of 4,371 people in the UK who had received an endometriosis diagnosis, the charity Endometriosis UK found that almost half had visited their GP 10 or more times with symptoms before receiving their diagnosis. 70% had visited five times or more, 52% had visited A&E at least once and 20% reported seeing a gynaecologist 10 or more times before being diagnosed. The charity found an increase in the number of people reporting that one or more doctors had told them they were making a “fuss about nothing” or similar comments from 69% of respondents in 2020 to 78% in 2023.
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years by the end of this Parliament and to improved understanding and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding over the same period. Sarah Owen said: “Our inquiry has shown
misogyny in medicine is leaving women in pain and their conditions undiagnosed. Women are finding their symptoms dismissed, are waiting years for life changing treatment and in too many cases are being put through trauma-inducing procedures. All the while, their conditions worsen and become more complicated to treat. “Up to one in three women live with
heavy menstrual bleeding, and one in ten have a condition such as endometriosis or adenomyosis. It cannot be right that, despite the prevalence of these conditions, such a lack of understanding and awareness persists. “WEC heard compelling testimonies during the inquiry from high profile women including Naga Munchetty and Vicky Pattison about their experiences over years in seeking effective help. This issue is impacting so many women across the country from their teens through to their retirement. “This report must act as a wake-up call and the NHS must urgently implement a training programme to improve the experience of treatment and diagnosis of reproductive health conditions. “Improving early diagnosis, including follow-up appointments, should be a key performance indicator for the Women’s Health Strategy for England. Individuals with a suspected or diagnosed reproductive health condition should be offered specialist mental health support. “The Committee calls on the Government to
recognise the financial benefits of increased investment in early diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions and provide the additional funding necessary to truly transform the support available to the millions of women affected by reproductive ill health in this country.”
Normalisation and
dismissal of pain A 2024 survey of more than 5,000 UK adults by Reckitt, the manufacturer of Nurofen, found that the proportion of women who reported their pain being ignored or dismissed by healthcare professionals had increased from 49% in 2023 to 62% in 2024. Over a quarter of women said they had started to question themselves; believing their pain was not seri- ous or real after being dismissed. One in ten respondents to Reckitt’s 2023 survey reported their GP describing them as overly emotional and 17% were told they were being overly dramatic. One in two women reported that they had had their pain dismissed because of their gender.
SCAN ME
To download the full report, scan the QR code or visit:
https://committees.parliament. uk/publications/45909/ documents/228040/default/
CSJ
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