'We've suffered long enough' - West Midlands women take a stand against rising NHS wait times for endometriosis diagnosis
Women in the West Midlands have hit back against rising wait times for a diagnosis of endometriosis following the latest report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
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The report states that over three quarters of a million (763,694) women and people currently waiting for months and years with serious gynaecological conditions and that more women are also now requiring emergency care to manage severe symptoms, with gynaecology emergency admissions in England increasing by a third (33%) between 2021 and 2024.
RCOG described gynae-healthcare as "being in crisis", noting that 76% of women reported worsening mental health as a result and 69% reporting being unable to take part in daily activities including work.
Neelam Heera-Shergill, the founder of Cysters, has been open about her own struggles with gynaecological conditions for years – which she has found debilitating at times. Now, she has declared enough is enough and has demanded improvements for the people supported by her organisation by the time another report is commissioned.
Speaking to the Express & Star, she said: "The new government need to recognise that this is a historical issue - waiting times have been excessively long since before the pandemic and it's getting worse. I have no doubt that the pandemic had some impact on it but it is not the sole cause of these ever-widening delays and these disparities are worse for those with disabilities or from ethnic minority backgrounds.
