GPs ‘dismissing womb illness as period pain’, report says
- Endometriosis is a chronic condition suffered by 2 million in Britain
- Forty per cent of sufferes visit GP 10 times before being referred to specialist
- For 10 per cent it takes 15 years of seeking help to receive a diagnosis
Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail
221
View
comments
Hundreds of thousands of women with a painful womb condition are left to cope without specialised care and are often dismissed as imagining their symptoms, a report says.
Some 40 per cent of those with endometriosis – a chronic condition suffered by two million in Britain – have to visit their GP ten times before they are referred to a specialist, it reveals.
For 10 per cent of women it takes 15 years of seeking help to receive a diagnosis, according to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health.
Hundreds of thousands of women with a painful womb condition are left to cope without specialised care
Today’s 51-page report, based on interviews with 2,600 women who have suffered with endometriosis or fibroids, reveal many doctors do not take their complaints seriously.
Endometriosis arises when cells normally found in the womb lining attach themselves to other parts of the pelvic area, causing scar tissue, pain and inflammation.
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus.
-
‘Giving birth nearly killed me… that’s why it was so hard…
Where do YOU fit in? Women with a higher waist-to-hip ratio…
Women are often told the problem is ‘all in the head’ or that their symptoms are ‘just period pain’, the MPs say.
Others are wrongly told the only treatment option is to have a hysterectomy, removing their womb and ending their chance of having children. Paula Sherriff, the MP for Dewsbury who chairs the all-party group, said: ‘The treatment women are receiving is outrageous.’
One affected woman told the report’s authors: ‘I was dismissed by my GP so many times over so many years that I started to even doubt myself. I felt like I was going crazy because no one would take me seriously.’ Another said: ‘The first GP I saw fobbed me off, saying “periods are painful” – at this point I was passing out due to pain.’
Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff said the treatment women receive is ‘outrageous’
A third woman said: ‘I was often made to feel it was all in my head and that my symptoms were caused by stress and irritable bowel syndrome.’ One in ten women of childbearing age suffer from endometriosis. NHS guidelines say anyone suspected of having the condition should be considered for referral to a gynaecologist. The guidance specifically states that any woman who asks for a referral should be given one.
The condition can be managed with hormone medication or by surgically removing endometrial tissue. A more drastic option is to have a hysterectomy – a procedure undertaken by 29,000 women a year.
But the report says too many are told to take this path without considering other options.
Miss Sherriff said: ‘The statistics in this report show that women are all too often dismissed by healthcare professionals when discussing their symptoms and choices.
‘The fact that almost 50 per cent of women did not feel that they were treated with dignity and respect is appalling.’
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘GPs often find themselves in an incredibly difficult position as the symptoms are so broad, and some are similar to other conditions, and so can only refer if they are sure endometriosis might be the underlying cause, or else secondary care would be unable to cope with demand.’
NHS England said: ‘The NHS takes women’s health and satisfaction with services provided extremely seriously, and will carefully consider the report.’
Share or comment on this article
-
Furious father films a police officer confiscating 27… -
Harry’s in a hurry to move Meghan into his new home:… -
Millionaire neighbours from hell: How a greedy couple… -
Who is protecting Maddie’s kidnapper? Detective who spent… -
Westminster killer’s daughter’s defiant prom dress:… -
Seven-year-old boy whose dying wish was to be buried with… -
You’ve been BUS-ted! Police catch 130 motorists in just… -
Pakistani cricketer who beat his wife with his bat,… -
The march of the Nazi war machine: Unseen photographs -… -
Life in a Magdalene laundry: Haunting images show… -
Tennessee bank executive, his wife and their two… -
Veteran news anchor Ted Koppel tells Sean Hannity to his… -
Loyal Manchester United steward, 82, who served at the… -
Shocking video shows daycare worker picking a girl, 4, up… -
Father who raped his daughter from age 10 and put her on… -
The painful price of the new pound: As the new coin… -
At least 17 people are injured after being thrown to the… -
BREAKING NEWS: Westminster killer’s MOTHER condemns her…
Comments 221
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Close
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Your comment will be credited to your MailOnline persona.
Close
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
The post will be credited to your MailOnline username. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.