A study carried out by academics at Manchester Metropolitan University found women with the disease felt “gaslit” by doctors due to their lack of understanding of the condition.
Dr Jasmine Hearn, senior lecturer in health psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University and lead author of the paper, said: “The biggest challenge is the disbelief, the dismissal and the sense of shame and embarrassment. Women are expected to tolerate much higher pain levels than men in general, so when women go [to the GP] with extreme pain, they are at that point of desperation and need to be taken seriously.”
The study exposed a need for change in the way women’s pain was treated and investigated by doctors, Dr Hearn added.
There is currently no cure for endometriosis and treatment is designed to manage the symptoms, often by keyhole surgery to remove or destroy excess tissue. These procedures may give months or years of pain relief, but the problem often recurs. In the most severe cases, a full hysterectomy may be recommended, but even that may not fully resolve the condition.
The new paper concluded that doctors needed better training and to change the way they handle reports of symptoms that suggest possible endometriosis.