On average, it takes almost seven years to get from first symptoms to an endometriosis diagnosis

The diagnosis takes years. In 2024 a UK team led by Jodie Fryer reviewed 23 studies from different countries: getting from first symptoms to a diagnosis took 6.8 years on average, from a year and a half in Australia to over 11 in the US. The delay piled up at every step: before the first doctor's visit, before the referral to a gynaecologist, and from the gynaecologist to a diagnosis. In a 2011 study of 1,418 women in ten countries, those found to have endometriosis reported seeing a doctor seven times on average before being referred to a specialist.

The review found several reasons it takes so long. Women and doctors alike took the pain for ordinary period pain. Many women couldn't find the words to describe it, and doctors brushed it off. Most of the studies come from high-income countries, though, and they relied on women's memory of when their symptoms began.

The WHO says a careful history of your periods can help with the diagnosis: the pain, how heavy the bleeding is, what else comes with it. You can put that history together ahead of time by noting which days hurt and whether painkillers help. Then you walk in with months of notes, not just the word "hurts".