Endometriosis diagnosis set to be sped up with two new tests carried out by GPs

ByMichelle Roberts

Digital health editor

People who think they may have endometriosis - a painful condition affecting one in 10 women - will soon be able to ask their GP for a couple of non-invasive tests for quicker diagnosis.

Experts hope they will be a game-changer and cut the nine-year or longer waits patients can currently face.

One is a spit test that looks for genetic material. The other measures electrical signals in the gut using sensor pads on the abdomen.

Both are being recommended under new draft guidance, external for the NHS in England and Wales, alongside regular checks, to help identify the condition where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body.

Ami Robertson, now 23, says she experienced endometriosis pain from the age of 16, but was repeatedly told she must have something else, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

The symptoms of endometriosis can be hard to identify and can overlap with other conditions.

Ami paid privately for checks that finally confirmed her diagnosis and she went on to have surgery.

The Pilates instructor from Glasgow, said: "I started to doubt myself, wondering if it was all in my head.

"No one should have to wait years to be believed."

Sharan Uppal, 46 and from Huddersfield, says it took years to get her daughter Simran diagnosed.

"I lost count of how many times I took Simran to the GP.

"We ended up in A&E three or four times, spending over 10 hours on one occasion, and nobody would take ownership."

They paid for the gut test which came back strongly positive.

"It gave me the empowerment to go back to our GP and push for a referral. That test opened doors for us to get Simran the help she needed," she says.

The saliva test, called Endotest, is already being used in a pilot NHS study, while Endosure - the gut electrical signal test - is part of a clinical study at the Worcestershire Acute NHS Hospital Trust.

Women fast for six to eight hours beforehand and then drink water for 45 minutes during this gut test.

The new draft recommendation means GPs will be able to start offering either or both to some patients, if available. Not every GP will have access immediately and use must be overseen by a healthcare professional with expertise in endometriosis diagnosis and management.

The NHS will continue to gather evidence on how well these tests work.

Neither are designed to act as standalone diagnostic tests but should mean women get a diagnosis and treatment much faster.

Currently, the main way to diagnose whether a patient has the disease on the NHS is through a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy, under general anaesthetic.

Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, welcomed the tests, adding: "Availability of these new tests needs to go hand-in-hand with education of GPs and practice nurses to ensure prompt access to those that need them, and an end to pain and symptoms not being recognised."