Little progress made on endometriosis, say experts

There has been "little progress" in improving the experiences of people living with endometriosis in the past 25 years, according to Leeds researchers.

Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue like that in the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, causing debilitating pain.

Endometriosis UK and researchers at Leeds Beckett University (LBU) surveyed 1,800 patients, with many saying they felt "powerless" over their illness.

Lead researcher Prof Georgina Jones said the results were "troubling", and showed how living with endometriosis could "fundamentally impact a person’s sense of identity and place in the world".

She said: "We asked respondents to provide some words summarising their experience of endometriosis.

"While most of these were negative, for example, they described the debilitating pain, the frustration and loneliness they feel, a number described the sense of community felt by those living with the disease.

"This underlines how important peer support, both informally and in the way organised by Endometriosis UK, is to those with endometriosis."

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Source: BBC News, 20 September 2024