Endometriosis: Why is Ireland failing women with this condition?

On average, it takes nine years for a woman in Ireland to be diagnosed with endometriosis. Nine years of being told your pain is ‘normal’, of doubting yourself, of being dismissed, and feeling dramatic or weak for daring to speak up.

That’s nine years of missed school, missed shifts, missed nights out, missed opportunities. Nine years of waiting rooms, clutching hot water bottles, and surviving on over-the-counter painkillers while quietly wondering if this is just how life will always be.

And here’s the reality: endometriosis is not rare. It actually affects one in ten. Yet it remains treated as a taboo subject that is brushed aside as a medical afterthought. In reality, this is a chronic, incurable disease that causes excruciating pain, damages fertility, and robs women of their quality of life. 

Enough whispering. Enough tiptoeing around women’s reproductive health. No one should be left to suffer in silence. Endometriosis is not “just a bad period.” It’s a full-body disease that can cause unbearable pain during periods, sex, bowel movements, and everyday life. It often comes with bloating, nausea, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and in many cases, infertility. It keeps women out of school, pushes them out of work, and damages relationships. It chips away not only at the body, but at dignity, identity, and hope.

The nine-year wait for diagnosis isn’t just a number, it’s women being told they have IBS, or that it’s all in their heads, or that they just need to “manage period pain better.” It’s the reality that the only way to get a clear diagnosis is through invasive surgery, which many wait years to access. 

Endometriosis is also one of the leading causes of infertility. Around half of women struggling to conceive have it, but many don’t find out until years into their battle for answers. For some, by then, it’s too late. That is an injustice in itself.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Other countries are taking action. Australia has invested millions in a national action plan. France and the UK are expanding access to care and raising awareness. Ireland risks falling further behind if it doesn’t act now with serious investment in research, education, and healthcare services.

Despite affecting one in ten women, endometriosis research is still chronically underfunded. We don’t fully understand the causes, and treatment options are limited. A disease this common should not be left on the sidelines. Addressing endometriosis is not optional. It’s about human rights. It’s about the right to health, the right to dignity, the right to live without unnecessary suffering.

So I ask again: why is Ireland failing women with this condition?

• DCU
• endometriosis
• health
• women