Member Article

Last month we saw Endometriosis Awareness Month come and go and with it, the question of whether endometriosis is fully recognised in the workplace yet.

Last year, in February 2022, support for individuals who suffer from endometriosis was debated in the House of Commons.

The key takeaway was that endometriosis affects so many women, yet is still largely unrecognised within the workplace. The Women’s Health Strategy, launched last year, included workplace health in its list of six priorities and promised to dedicate time to focus on menstrual health and gynaecological conditions.

But has much progress been made?

The Department of Health and Social Care awarded a £1.97m grant to be shared between several different charities. However, this grant has a wider application and aims to support women who may be experiencing more general reproductive health issues, rather than endometriosis specifically.

Whilst this grant is gratefully received, we have yet to see any real emphasis to address the condition that around 1.5 million women and those assigned female at birth are living with.

That said, we are beginning to see some steps in the right direction. Following a campaign launched last year by the charity Endometriosis UK, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care, has agreed to update its guidelines on endometriosis diagnosis and management. Although the date for this review and update has not been confirmed, this could be a big step towards the condition getting the recognition it deserves. Once there is clearer guidance more widely available, it may seek to encourage employers to implement changes within the workplace.

In a recent survey undertaken by Censuswide, 2000 UK adults were asked “if a colleague had to take time off work or full-time education due to chronic pelvic pain and painful periods, what would you be thinking, if anything?” The majority of respondents (37.49%) felt this was a fair reason for taking time off, with 37.20% wanting to learn more about how they could support their colleague in future. It is clear from these results that the foundations are in place for improved support in the workplace and employers and employees alike appear keen to do so. Perhaps they just need clearer guidance on how to put this into practice.

We await to see what next steps will be taken by the government in its Women’s Health Strategy.

 

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