The NHS is rolling out two new non-invasive diagnostic tests for endometriosis, aiming to significantly reduce the average diagnosis time of over nine years for the condition that affects one in ten women of reproductive age in the UK.
New Tests Available in Primary Care
The technologies, Endosure and Endotest, can now be used in primary care settings such as GP surgeries, where diagnostic accuracy has been limited. Endotest analyzes a saliva sample for microRNAs, tiny biological markers that indicate the likely presence of endometriosis. Endosure detects the condition by measuring electrical signals in the gut using sensor pads on the abdomen, after the patient fasts and drinks water during a 45-minute test.
Currently, the only definitive diagnostic method within the NHS is a diagnostic laparoscopy, an invasive procedure performed under general anaesthetic that carries surgical risks and costs. These new tests offer a less invasive, faster approach that does not rely on ultrasound operator expertise, potentially enabling earlier decision-making and reducing unnecessary invasive investigations.
Impact on Patients
Dr. Gail Busby, consultant gynaecologist at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As a gynaecologist working with both adults and adolescents, I’ve seen first-hand how endometriosis can devastate young people’s lives, causing them to miss school, struggle through GCSEs and miss out on the experiences that matter most during those formative years. Too many of my patients have spent years being told their pain is normal when it isn’t. These tests are a game-changer because they give us answers much earlier, without the need for invasive surgery, and that means we can start the right treatment sooner. An earlier diagnosis doesn’t just change one person’s life, it frees up appointments and surgical slots for everyone waiting for care.”
Simran, 15, from Huddersfield, who was treated by Dr. Busby, said: “Getting my diagnosis honestly felt like the best thing in the world. Everyone kept saying it might be irritable bowel syndrome. I was sent to hospital multiple times and sent back home. When I finally found out what it was, I was so relieved because now I knew what the next step was. The test itself was easy, it wasn’t painful at all. Just drinking water and being monitored. Really simple. And I’m already starting to feel better after my surgery. I know it’s never going to go away completely, but I know I’m not going to be in pain all the time, and that means everything.”
NICE Guidance and Evidence Collection
The two tests will be used during a three-year period while additional evidence is collected on their effectiveness. Dr. Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at NICE, said: “A diagnosis of endometriosis can for some women take the best part of a decade, with the UK average standing at 9 years and 4 months, and rising to 11 years for those from ethnically diverse communities. That delay means living with chronic pelvic pain that affects daily life, relationships and work. These technologies have the potential to change that by giving primary care professionals better non-invasive tools to identify endometriosis earlier allowing earlier and better treatment. Our draft guidance reflects our commitment to getting promising innovations to patients quickly, while making sure the evidence to support their wider use is built in a rigorous way.”
Call for GP Education
Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK, said: “For too long, those with endometriosis have faced unacceptable delays in accessing a diagnosis, especially if from ethnically diverse communities, and diagnosis times have been going up, not down, in the last decade. Endometriosis UK welcomes NICE’s announcement that two new non-invasive diagnostic technologies can now be used in the NHS to speed up diagnosis in primary care, whilst further evidence of their accuracy is collected. Speeding up diagnosis times is much needed and would be a major step forward in reducing disease impact and supporting those with endometriosis to live well with the disease. Availability of these new tests needs to go hand in hand with education of GPs and Practice Nurses to ensure prompt access to those that need them, and an end to pain and symptoms not being recognised. This is the perfect opportunity to support Primary Care colleagues with improved understanding of endometriosis, adenomyosis and menstrual health conditions and their symptoms.”
