Access to endometriosis services
A general debate on access to endometriosis services is scheduled to take place in Westminster Hall on the 24 March 2026. The debate will be led by Jack Abbott MP.
Endometriosis is where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes and lining of the pelvis. Endometriosis can sometimes be found in the bladder and bowel. It is commonly diagnosed in women and girls who are menstruating. It can affect anyone who has or had a womb.
Endometriosis can be debilitating and cause symptoms including pelvic pain, painful periods and difficulty getting pregnant.
Treatments include medicines to help manage pain or that change hormones (like the contraceptive pill), and surgery to remove endometriosis or a person’s womb or ovaries.
It can take a long time to diagnose endometriosis as it is similar to various other conditions, such as adenomyosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
Further information about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment can be found on the NHS webpage for Endometriosis.
PrevalenceThe ONS published a one-off statistical release on Characteristics of women with an endometriosis diagnosis in England in December 2024 with data covering the period between 27 March 2011 and 31 December 2021.
According to this, there were around 262,000 women with an endometriosis diagnosis in England at the end of 2021. This equates to an age-standardised rate of around 1,067 per 100,000 population.
Prevalence estimates are based on diagnosed cases and are therefore an underestimate of true prevalence. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), around 1 in 10 women in the UK has endometriosis.
This also means that prevalence is particularly underestimated for areas where women are less likely to receive a diagnosis. For instance, the likelihood of being diagnosed with endometriosis was significantly lower for all other ethnic groups, compared with the "White British" ethnic group. This is except for the "Black Caribbean", "Mixed White and Black Caribbean", "Other Mixed", and "White Gypsy or Irish Traveller" ethnic groups, which showed no evidence of a significant difference.
The groups with the lowest likelihood of diagnosis, compared with the "White" ethnic group, were:
- the "Chinese" ethnic group
- the "Arab" ethnic group
- the "Black African" ethnic group
Women born outside the UK or whose main language was not English had significantly lower odds of being diagnosed, compared with those born in the UK or whose main language was English, respectively. The odds were lowest for women living in the most deprived and least deprived areas of the country.
Average time from first GP consultation to diagnosisThere is no official data on how long it takes for women in England to receive a diagnosis for endometriosis. According to ONS data, the average (median) age at diagnosis was 35.
In a survey, the charity Endometriosis UK found that almost half of respondents with an endometriosis diagnosis had visited their GP ten 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 ten or more times before being diagnosed. The charity’s 2024 report is titled “Years of being “dismissed, ignored and belittled”: Endometriosis UK urges improvement to deteriorating diagnosis times”.
Other surveys have found that the average wait for a diagnosis was three to four years (PDF). But some sources claim average wait times of nine years, including a report published in February 2026 by the charity Endometriosis UK.
Recent policy and parliamentary activity Women’s Health StrategyThe previous government published the Women's Health Strategy for England in July 2022 in which it committed to “women and girls with severe endometriosis [experiencing] better care, where diagnosis time is reduced on the journey from initial GP appointment through to final diagnosis”.
In October 2025, the current government announced the Women’s Health Strategy will be renewed to improve access to healthcare for women across England, including for endometriosis care.
Women and Equalities Committee reportIn March 2026, the Woman and Equalities Committee published a report from its inquiry on Menstrual health of girls and young women. The report said women’s health has “not been sufficiently prioritised” in recent proposed reforms to the healthcare system, but that the government’s plans to renew the Women’s Health Strategy was an opportunity to do so.
The report raised concerns about the dismissal of women’s period problems in primary care, including young women and girls reporting concerns about endometriosis. It recommended the Women’s Health Strategy include an objective to improve primary care practitioners’ awareness of menstrual health conditions, and that this would require targeted funding. It also recommended the strategy include an objective to reduce diagnosis times for endometriosis.
NICE guidelines and new treatmentsThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline on Endometriosis: diagnosis and management provides advice on referral, diagnosis and the range of treatments available. In November 2024, NICE published its updated version of this guideline, making firmer recommendations on referral and investigations which will help women receive a diagnosis and effective treatment faster.
Research has led to new treatments being made available for endometriosis, including the NICE approval of two pills to treat endometriosis in 2025: Relugolix and Linzagolix (see First daily pill for endometriosis approved for NHS use | NICE, 13 March 2025 and Up to 1,000 women a year could benefit from new at-home treatment for endometriosis, 1 May 2025).
Parliamentary material DebatesEndometriosis: Women in the Workplace
15 January 2025 | House of Commons | 760 cc447-455
Women’s Health Strategy: Endometriosis and Fibroids
5 March 2026 | House of Commons | 781 cc1065 - 1070
Endometriosis: Diagnosis
13 March 2026 | UIN 118265
Endometriosis: Surgery
13 March 2026 | UIN 118161
Endometriosis: Diagnosis
13 March 2026 | UIN 115181
Endometriosis: Health Services
3 March 2026 | UIN 116092
Endometriosis: Health Services
3 March 2026 | UIN 113898
Endometriosis: Health Services
24 February 2026 | UIN 113168
Arbroath woman’s 18-year wait for endometriosis diagnosis (The Courier, 17 March 2026)
Women with endometriosis face 'systemic misogyny' (BBC News, 16 March 2026)
Bristol endometriosis sufferer plans to "urgently" freeze eggs (BBC News, 15 March 2026)
'It's a very unique biological specimen': What menstrual blood can reveal about your health (BBC Future, 9 March 2026)
Endometriosis UK release new report highlighting alarming increase in endometriosis diagnosis times (Endometriosis UK, 2 March 2026)
Women with endometriosis more likely to experience early menopause, study finds (The Guardian, 30 April 2025)
‘Gaslit by doctors’: UK women with endometriosis told it is ‘all in their head’ (The Guardian, 21 January 2024)
The above article references a study of endometriosis patients which is available here: A COM-B and Theoretical Domains Framework Mapping of the Barriers and Facilitators to Effective Communication and Help-Seeking Among People With, or Seeking a Diagnosis Of, Endometriosis (Journal of Health Communication, 23 January 2024)
Further reading"The state of endometriosis care in the UK: A roadmap for driving down diagnosis times and improving access to care" (Endometriosis UK, 2 March 2026)
Menstrual health of girls and young women (Women and Equalities Committee, 4 March 2026)
Endometriosis Action Month 2026 (Endometriosis UK)