Women experiencing painful health conditions including heavy periods, endometriosis and adenomyosis are being dismissed when they seek help, a report from MPs has warned.

Members of Westminster’s Women and Equalities Committee concluded that these common issues can take years to diagnose and treat, causing women and girls so much pain that it disrupts all aspects of daily life.

Chair Sarah Owen said that “misogyny in medicine” is “leaving women in pain and their conditions going undiagnosed” – and she called for greater investment and support in women’s reproductive health conditions.

The government has described the situation as “unacceptable” and said it will “improve women’s health care”.

Misogyny is defined as a feeling of hatred towards women, or the belief that men are superior to women.

committee report It comes after an investigation in which its members interviewed women about their experiences, including BBC presenter Naga Munchetty and TV personality Vicky Pattison.

It found “a clear lack of awareness and understanding of women’s reproductive health conditions among primary health care practitioners”.

And it cited a stigma and lack of education towards the conditions, reflecting a lack of medical research, experts and treatments. This means that gynecology waiting lists have grown faster than any other medical specialty in recent years.

The report calls on the NHS to “immediately implement a training program” to improve the experience of women and girls accessing diagnosis and treatment of gynecological conditions.

BBC News recently reported that the waiting list Gynecology appointments across the UK have more than doubled since 2020There are approximately 755,000 women’s health appointments waiting to be made.

Many women shared their experiences Important treatments require waiting in agony and often paying for private care.

Claire, 40, paid £10,000 for a hysterectomy 12 weeks ago to relieve her debilitating symptoms. endometriosis And adenomyosis – He would have had to wait three years for the same operation on the NHS.

Bethany, 27, was diagnosed with endometriosis seven years ago and was told she had to choose between having children or having her uterus removed. She sought a second opinion from the NHS, but by the time she had her initial procedure, she was unable to move her leg without pain.

She is now looking for a solution to the existing problems through private health insurance.

Bethany said, “I can’t put into words how deep the sadness of taking the life that I could have and should have had.”

• Waiting for endometriosis diagnosis ‘soul destroying’

Owen, a Labor MP who chairs the equalities committee, said: “Women are dismissing their symptoms, waiting years for life-changing treatment and in too many cases having to undergo trauma-inducing procedures .

“All the time, their condition worsens and becomes more complicated to treat.”

She said one in three women live with heavy menstrual bleeding, while one in 10 has conditions such as endometriosis or adenomyosis.

“It cannot be right that such a lack of understanding and awareness continues despite the prevalence of these conditions.”

They also called for specialist mental health support to be offered to women with suspected or diagnosed reproductive health conditions.

Dr Henrietta Hughes, England’s patient safety commissioner, welcomed the report, saying the NHS needed to take a “long-term hard look” at the way patients are involved in their care.

“We need to treat patients as partners, making sure they are well informed, listened to and have a good experience with care,” Dr. Hughes said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care in England said it was “completely unacceptable that women with fertility problems are not getting the care they need and their voices are not being heard”.

“That’s why we will revolutionize women’s health care, put women’s equality at the center of our agenda, and ensure women’s health is never neglected again.”

He said an extra £26 billion was being invested in the NHS and that with it, the government would get the service “back on its feet so it can be available to all patients”.

The health ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland say plans have been drawn up to tackle long waits for treatment.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said that women’s health had been made “a key priority”.