The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced it will be updating its guidelines on endometriosis diagnosis, surgical management and surgical management when fertility is a priority. 

Endometriosis affects nearly one in 10 women and those assigned female at birth in the UK, yet the condition lacks research, funding and awareness among the medical community and the general public. On average, women wait 7.5 years between first seeing a doctor about their symptoms and receiving a firm diagnosis, according to charity Endometriosis UK.  

In light of these statistics, NICE’s announcement comes after Emma Hardy MP and Hannah Bardell MP, chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis, jointly tabled an Early Day Motion in March 2022 asking for an update on the Endometriosis: Diagnosis and Management guideline.

This will be the first update to NICE’s endometriosis guidelines since 2017 in an act that will not only improve the diagnosis and surgical management of endometriosis but also reduce the social and economic burden of the condition, according to GlobalData.

For Endometriosis UK CEO, Emma Cox, however, whilst the review is a positive step forward, there is still much to be done. “We want to make sure that members of the endometriosis community are listened to, and change is done from a patient perspective not just a solely medical perspective,” she said.

“What we want to see is driving down diagnosis times and improving surgical care. We want to see high quality care accessible to everybody wherever they live in the UK, and we’ll be continuing to campaign for that.”

Speaking on the Endometriosis UK Instagram page, Emma continued: “We look forward to working with NICE to get the best outcome we can and also to campaigning with [our supporters] to see even better and more changes coming in the future.”