In response to a recent report about women’s reproductive care, the government said: “despite being so common, women and girls still face challenges accessing care for their reproductive health.”
In 2024, the University of York found that it takes almost seven years for people with endometriosis to get a diagnosis ― despite affecting roughly 10% of women. Other experts put it at nine years.
So the news that the NHS has approved the first daily pill to treat the symptoms of endometriosis (known as relugolix combination therapy) in England seems welcome.
The treatment is an alternative to existing injectable options and has the advantage of being suitable for home use.
It costs £72 for a 28-day round, and works by both blocking the hormones that contribute to endometriosis and replacing the ones lacking in many with the condition.
However, speaking to HuffPost UK, Hannah Travis, an associate in the medical negligence team at Bolt Burdon Kemp who focuses on women’s health, said the medication ― which is only available to people who have exhausted all other options, including surgery ― may not be as far-reaching as some may hope.
The pill is expected to help roughly 1,000 women
Though the pill is promising, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says it’s only likely to help about 1,000 women.
“Endometriosis affects 1.5 million women in the UK,” making that number “just the tip of the iceberg,” Travis said.
She added: “The approval of the first daily endometriosis pill on the NHS is a welcome step, but women’s health remains chronically underfunded, under-researched, and poorly prioritised.”
While she hopes “this pill is a sign of more innovations to come,” Travis says she doesn’t expect it to drastically change the amount of women who come to her having experienced healthcare inequality.
“Delays in endometriosis diagnosis still average nine years, specialist care is patchy, and many women suffer unnecessary pain due to misdiagnoses and surgical errors,” she told us.
“Sadly, working in a clinical negligence team which has a focus on women’s health, this is an issue we see all too often – our clients tell us they have not been taken seriously by their GPs and other health professionals for years, all whilst suffering from debilitating pain which sometimes means they can’t work or live a normal life.”
Still, the move is a positive sign, the expert continued.
“What is encouraging is how much endometriosis is now, finally, being discussed and invested in. Long may this continue.”
What are the signs of endometriosis?
The government recently said that part of the problem with reproductive health care lies in “a lack of education and awareness of what a ‘normal’ period is or the symptoms of common reproductive health conditions.”
Endometriosis is often mis- or under-diagnosed due to a lack of knowledge of the condition, the World Health Organisation says.
Per the NHS, symptoms include:
- severe period pain, that stops you from doing your normal activities
- heavy periods, where you need to change your pads or tampons every 1 to 2 hours, or you may bleed through to your clothes.
- pain when you poo or pee
- pain in your lower tummy and back (pelvic area)
- pain during or after sex
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- pain or bleeding in other areas, such as in the chest, which may cause shortness of breath and coughing up blood.
Speak to your GP if you think you have endometriosis.
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