Delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis: a survey of women from the USA and the UK

TLDR

Efforts to reduce diagnostic delays are needed to lessen the suffering of women with endometriosis. The study investigated the time between symptom onset and surgical diagnosis of endometriosis in women from the UK and the USA. A postal questionnaire completed by 218 surgically confirmed patients recruited through endometriosis self‑help groups provided the data. Women in the USA experienced a mean diagnostic delay of 11.7 ± 9.1 years versus 8.0 ± 7.9 years in the UK, a statistically significant difference, and disease stage did not affect delay, indicating substantial delays in both countries.

Abstract

We investigated the length of time between the onset of pain symptoms and the surgical diagnosis of endometriosis in women from the UK and the USA. A total of 218 women with surgically confirmed disease, recruited through endometriosis self-help groups, completed a postal questionnaire. The mean ± SD delay in diagnosis for women from the USA was 11.73 ± 9.05 years, significantly higher than the equivalent delay of 7.96 ± 7.92 years for women from the UK (P < 0.01). The stage of disease did not affect the length of time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis. Therefore there is considerable delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis for women from both the UK and the USA. Efforts to reduce this delay are required to minimize the suffering of women with this disease.