A parliamentary report by the WEC highlights ‘medical misogyny’ in healthcare, resulting in women enduring years of gynaecological pain

A new report by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has revealed that women and girls experiencing painful reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy bleeding during periods too often have their pain dismissed and symptoms “normalised”. 

The committee found that, despite these conditions being so prevalent in the UK, many people experiencing this pain are left to deal with it for years before receiving diagnosis and treatment. These worrying findings suggest little improvement has been made in recent years, following a 2021 report from the gynaecological cancer charity, The Eve Appeal, which found that almost a quarter of people felt “not listened to” in reproductive health appointments. 

Reproductive ill health impacts the day-to-day lives of those suffering. Pain and discomfort can interfere with work, education, relationships and fertility. Inadequate care is resulting in many people turning to expensive private healthcare as they remain desperate for answers and effective pain management. 

The contributing factors behind why many women and girls are having their pain dismissed stem from a pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological health, medical misogyny and a lack of education and awareness of women's reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners. The WEC also heard evidence from broadcasters Naga Munchetty and Vicky Pattison, who outlined the inadequate care they received when being treated for adenomyosis and PMDD respectively. 

Following these findings, the committee is now calling for the NHS to “urgently implement a training programme” to improve the experience of people accessing diagnoses and treatment, as well as allocate more funding for research into women’s reproductive health conditions. The charity Endometriosis UK welcomes the WEC report and its recommendations, with the chief executive saying that this “should give hope to those impacted by endometriosis and menstrual health conditions that their voice is being heard.”

In an effort to tackle growing waiting lists, reprioritise gynaecological care and improve early diagnosis to prevent the deterioration of symptoms, the NHS plans to roll out women’s health hubs across the country. The addition of these health hubs and the development of a network of women’s health champions aims to provide better access to women’s gynaecological services and support the upskilling of healthcare staff to drive improvements. 

Endometriosis is believed to affect around 10% of women and girls in the UK, and no person should be left to deal with their pain alone. Find out how to look after yourself whilst waiting for NHS treatment.

If you’re considering private support, you can learn more about nutrition to manage conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis and PMS on Nutritionist Resource, or discover hypnotherapy for pain management on Hypnotherapy Directory. If your mental health has been affected by a reproductive health condition, you can connect with a counsellor or therapist on Counselling Directory.