For people with endometriosis, getting a diagnosis, treatment and a cure is still a waiting game

Despite millions suffering its debilitating effects, the conition remains taboo. It’s time to bring research and awareness to the forefront and find a cure, says Enis Yucekoralp

One in 10 women are affected by the condition (Getty)

Endometriosis is a debilitating and chronic medical condition that affects around 1 in 10 women. In the United Kingdom, that equates to over 1.5 million sufferers:  the second-most common gynaecological condition in the country.

Agonising and under-diagnosed, endometriosis is not just incurable at present but incurably underfunded: the average diagnosis time currently stands at an astonishing seven and a half years. Considering its life-destroying and debilitating effects, that endometriosis remains as unresolved and enigmatic in 2020 is unacceptable.

femIts cause is still unknown and until more research is conducted a cure seems consigned to the waiting list. At root, it occurs when cells similar to those found in the tissue lining of the uterus (the endometrium), grow elsewhere in the body – most commonly around the fallopian tubes, the ovaries and surrounding area, and other tissue around the uterus.