Health

New Endometriosis Guidelines Could Change Everything

From expanding the list of recognised symptoms, to diagnosis and treatment.

by Eleanor Noyce
New Endometriosis Guidelines Could Change Everything
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I don’t have to tell you how debilitating and frustrating endometriosis is for thousands of women. In the UK alone, 1 in 10 women of reproductive age live with the condition according to Endometriosis UK. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, of sorts. A new report issued by University College London and University College London Hospitals could change everything when it comes to improving the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.

Defined by clinicians as a disease “characterised by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and commonly associated with chronic pelvic pain and infertility.” Despite its severity, only 10% of women worldwide have received a diagnosis, per Endometriosis UK research, equating to 176 million.

Adding insult to injury, government reports in 2017 found that 40% of the women saw a doctor 10 times before being referred to gynaecologist. 67% found most of their information on the internet, and 42% of women said they felt they were not treated with dignity and respect, as reported by the Independent at the time.

Offering over 100 recommendations , the new University College London and University College London Hospitals report expands the list of symptoms to consider (adding pelvic pain, nausea, severe cramps, strain crying, painful urination and intercourse to the list of potential indicators of the condition), as well as changing the methods of diagnosis, as well as treatment options.

Professor Ertan Saridogan, who has been working with the Guideline Development Group since 2003, explains: “This new work expands on important issues such as the clinical evidence on endometriosis in adolescents and postmenopausal women. It outlines the diagnostic process, challenges the current laparoscopy and histology used as the overall gold standard diagnostic tests, and it evaluates surgical, medical, and non-pharmacological treatments.”

Professor Christian Becker, Chair of the Guideline Development Group, added: “We hope that the new ESHRE Endometriosis Guideline will assist both patients and healthcare professionals in their decision making and understanding of the condition.”