Broadcaster Emma Barnett has revealed she once blacked out from endometriosis pain while on air, as she calls for urgent improvements in diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Writing in The Guardian, Barnett describes her 21-year struggle before being diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition affecting one in 10 women in the UK.
Barnett recalls being told by GPs that she was one of the 'unlucky ones' with bad periods, and was advised to take strong painkillers and contraceptive pills. It was only after two years of trying for a baby that a friend who was an obstetrician suggested she might have endometriosis. A laparoscopy confirmed the diagnosis, after two hours of surgery to remove the tissue.
A new report by MPs highlights that the average wait for diagnosis is still eight years, a figure that has not improved in a decade. Over half of those surveyed had visited their GP more than 10 times and attended A&E before diagnosis. Barnett says it is 'scandalous' that the target is to cut wait times to four years by 2025, arguing that this is not ambitious enough.
Barnett also highlights the gender pain gap, noting that women's pain is often dismissed. She calls for better language to describe symptoms and for doctors to believe women's testimonies. 'A silent, weary army has been awakened, and refuses to be fobbed off any more,' she writes.
