'People said I was making it up' Oldham woman waits seven years for endometriosis diagnosis

An Oldham woman says prejudice around female health meant she had to wait seven years for a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Courtney Ormrod, 23, is highlighting the chasm between healthcare for men and women on International Womens Day.

“From one of the first times I went into hospital in severe pain and was told by an older male medic that, 'it is definitely not endometriosis – you’re too young,' I have become aware of a prejudice around female health” says Courtney.

"Yet it was a different case for my partner. He was scanned, monitored, and treated straightaway for his pain, even though COVID was raging.

"I’ve been told that the back pain associated with my condition is just a slipped disc and have even had people saying I am making it all up – when I have been unable to walk, and collapsed because of endometriosis."

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.  It can affect women of any age and can cause debilitating pain.

Courtney believes that embarrassment around conditions such as menopause, vaginal bleeding and even ovarian cancer is playing a part, as is failing to acknowledge these dangerous illnesses as potentially fatal.

Dr Anita Sharma, who eventually diagnosed and supported Courtney, believes ignorance has to be rooted out and training given – with resource available to help health “level-up.”

"Commissioning groups and politicians simply do not take women’s welfare seriously enough” said Dr Sharma, who is also a renowned national voice on female health. "Clinicians who need to care more. Look at the damage health inequalities did during COVID, where those from poorer areas or BAME backgrounds were worst hit. That is what women are suffering every single day.

"Our health needs are put behind those of men in a spirit of blissful – and dangerous – ignorance."

Even though it affects one in ten women of childbearing age, endometriosis remains a condition that is poorly researched, with no current cure available. Despite causing debilitating pain, some doctors simply brush it off as period pain and fail to realise it is a whole-body condition.

Dr Sharma says the experts who could identify it swiftly and help manage its many physical and mental effects, are too thin on the ground.

It's a point echoed by Courtney: "I wonder if this were a male condition, what progress would have been made?"

"The idea of constant pain – especially in their reproductive organs – would have companies pouring money into research, loud demands for medical professionals met and men craving sympathy. As women though, we are expected to stay quiet and just suffer. Well, no more!”

Courtney has helped to establish Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity aiming to support women and their families with the condition and raise awareness – especially after a recent study showed people thought it was “nothing to worry about.”

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is to break the bias against females in the workplace, in society and in healthcare.

Learn more about Endometriosis Awareness North here.

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