Medical misogyny is leaving women with reproductive conditions in years of ‘needless pain,’ MPs have warned.
The Women and Equalities Committee’s new report on women’s reproductive health conditions found that ‘pervasive stigma, ‘deprioritisation’ and lack of education about female health issues were some of the main causes of poor gynaecological care.
Sarah Owen, Labour MP for Luton North and committee chairman, said that the issue was affecting women of all ages across the country.
‘Women are finding their symptoms dismissed, are waiting years for life-changing treatment and in too many cases are being put through trauma-inducing procedures. All the while, their conditions worsen and become more complicated to treat. Up to one in three women live with heavy menstrual bleeding, one in ten has a condition such as endometriosis or adenomyosis.’
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The report comes after a committee inquiry where women shared testimonies of their own experiences with a reproductive health condition, including TV personality Vicky Pattison and BBC presenter Naga Munchetty.
Pattison said that she was ‘dismissed’ and made to feel ‘ashamed’ by male doctors. ‘I think they lack an understanding and empathy towards what we're going through as women, whether that be someone suffering with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, adenomyosis, endometriosis - the list is absolutely endless.’
Munchetty was diagnosed with adenomyosis at the age of 47, after suffering symptoms since the age of 15. She told the committee that she was never taken seriously by the NHS for 32 years despite being in ‘agonising pain’.
According to Endometriosis UK, about 60% of the 4371 people surveyed in 2024 had visited the GP more than 10 times with symptoms before receiving their diagnosis and 52% had visited the A&E at least once before being diagnosed with endometriosis. The committee MPs found that lack of medical research, treatment options and specialists in the field were adding to the issue and doubling gynaecological waiting lists since 2020.
Owen said the report must act as a ‘wake-up call’ for the NHS and called on the Government to help transform care services for women. The recommendations include publishing an implementation plan for the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy for England and providing additional funding for primary care and more research into reproductive health conditions.
Responding to the report, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that it was ‘unacceptable’ for women to be denied appropriate care.
‘That is why we will overhaul women's healthcare, placing women's equality at the heart of our agenda, and ensure women's health is never again neglected. We are investing an extra £26 billion in the health system and through our Plan for Change, we will get the NHS back on its feet so it delivers for all patients.’