Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Fit for WorkClinical governanceFit for WorkHealth surveillanceSickness absence management

MPs to examine impact of endometriosis on women

by Ashleigh Webber 8 Oct 2019
by Ashleigh Webber 8 Oct 2019 Image: Shutterstock
Image: Shutterstock

A group of MPs is to launch an inquiry into women’s experiences of endometriosis, after research found thousands have had suicidal thoughts because of the painful condition.

A BBC-commissioned survey involving 13,500 women with endometriosis, which occurs when some of the tissue that lines the womb grows on other pelvic organs and can cause debilitating pain and sometimes fertility issues, found half of  respondents had considered suicide because of the condition and many said they were consequently addicted to painkillers.

Women’s health

One in six endometriosis sufferers gives up work

Not just ‘hot flushes’ – why it’s time employers took the menopause seriously

Most of the women said the condition had affected their career, education, sex life and mental health. Endometriosis affects around one in 10 women and takes on average seven-and-a-half years to diagnose.

The survey results prompted the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Endometriosis to launch an inquiry into how it was affecting women.

APPG chair Sir David Amess said: “The APPG is committed to raising awareness of this condition and representing the interests of people who live with it. We will therefore be launching an inquiry in the near future to hear from patients and healthcare professionals about their first-hand experiences, before making recommendations to the government. It is essential that women with endometriosis are given the right support at the right time.”

The charity Endometriosis UK claimed the condition is costing the UK economy £8.2bn a year in treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs. It said the NHS needed to “wake up to the scale of endometriosis” and offer support to those who need it. It also called for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Endometriosis: Diagnosis and Management guidelines to be properly implemented across the UK and said more investment was needed to fund research into the condition’s causes, treatment and management options.

Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK, said: “This shocking new research is a stark reminder that both society and the NHS need to wake up and accept that endometriosis is a chronic condition that cannot be brushed under the carpet.

“The potentially devastating impact this condition can have on people’s physical and mental health cannot be overstated. Without investment in research, a reduction in diagnosis time and better access to pain management, women will continue to face huge barriers in accessing the right treatment at the right time.”

Minister for women’s health Caroline Dinenage urged clinicians to “play their part in breaking down the ongoing stigma around endometriosis” and encouraged employers create supportive and flexible ways to help those living the condition.

Centre for Mental Health chief executive Sarah Hughes added: “Having a physical illness significantly increases our chances of having poor mental health. Living in constant pain and struggling with daily life, with relationships, with conception and with work add to the burden for women living with endometriosis.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“These figures are a stark reminder that physical and mental health are not felt separately, yet health services still too often cannot deal with them both at the same time.

“Health services need to wake up to the hidden and unspoken emotional pain too many women experience without the help they need to manage such a poorly understood and distressing condition.”

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Police service discriminated against man with moustache
next post
Mandatory reporting would improve staff mental health, a third of firms say

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Tool developed for employers to calculate cost of...

28 Apr 2025

Why employers must do more to support all...

24 Apr 2025

How to help employees quit vaping before new...

22 Apr 2025

NHS urging people to check for cancer warning...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today