The average time to receive an endometriosis diagnosis in the UK has now reached nine years and four months - up from eight years in 2020.

Campaigners say the worsening delays highlight serious failings in women's healthcare.

Endometriosis happens when cells similar to those in the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body, causing chronic pain, heavy bleeding and, in many cases, infertility.

Symptoms vary from person to person and can include pelvic pain, periods that interfere with daily life, heavy menstrual bleeding, pain during sex and painful bowel movements.

Yet despite the severity of symptoms, many women struggle for years to be taken seriously.

The latest survey by Endometriosis UK found that 39 per cent of respondents reported needing to visit their GP 10 times or more before the condition was suspected.

More than half — 55 per cent — said they had attended A&E with their symptoms. Of those, 46 per cent were sent home without treatment.

For 28-year-old Bethany Backhouse, from Stoke-on-Trent, her symptoms were dismissed for six years before she was diagnosed in 2017.

She said: 'For a long time, I was told I was too young to have endometriosis, I was told that my symptoms were just painful periods, despite passing out at school due to the pain.

'It took about six years for me to get a diagnosis and it has had a huge impact on my education, my mental health and my life.'

This narrative is echoed by Louise Spice, 29, whose periods were 'painful from day one', and she was repeatedly told by her GP that it was just 'heavy periods'.

'My entire teenage memories are of pain, lying in bed and clutching a hot water bottle', she previously told the Daily Mail. 

There is currently no cure for endometriosis. Treatment typically involves pain relief or hormonal options such as the contraceptive pill or Mirena coil, which thin the endometrial lining to suppress growth and reduce pain.

In severe cases, and if all other treatments have failed, doctors may suggest early menopause. This can be induced chemically using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists to stop the ovaries from working, or surgically via a hysterectomy.

Putting a woman into early menopause stops the production of key hormones such as oestrogen. Patients may then require hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to manage symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal dryness.

A surgically induced menopause is permanent and means a woman can no longer have children. Chemically induced menopause may be reversible.

Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK, said: 'It is unacceptable that those living with endometriosis have to endure years of pain and uncertainty before receiving a diagnosis.

'Our findings underscore the urgent need not only for increased awareness and understanding of endometriosis and menstrual health among healthcare providers, but for this to be translated into action, with appropriate levels of resources allocated by the NHS to overcome far too long waiting lists and enable access to care where and when it's needed.

'Endometriosis care has been neglected for too long and the situation is getting worse.

'Governments across the UK must treat endometriosis as a common, chronic condition that requires systematic action and we want an unequivocal commitment to reduce average diagnosis time to one year or less by 2030.'

Kirsteen Sullivan MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis, added: 'Whilst I am appalled by the shocking waiting times across the UK for women to receive a diagnosis for endometriosis, I am regrettably not surprised.

'For too long, women's health issues have been sidelined, and this must change. Endometriosis can be debilitating and devastating. Anyone suffering from this condition deserves timely and compassionate diagnosis, treatment and care.'

Endometriosis UK is calling on all UK governments to commit to reducing the average diagnosis time to one year or less by 2030, including cutting gynaecology waiting lists, improving menstrual health education and ensuring better training for healthcare professionals.