A woman who has suffered for a decade as a result of endometriosis has hailed the discovery of new technology that could cut diagnosis time.
A study at the University of Oxford has found that a new scanning technique may help spot endometriosis growth sooner.
The condition, which occurs when cells similar to those lining the womb are found elsewhere in the body, affects one in ten people worldwide and 1.5 million people in the UK.
The new method uses a specialised CT scan combined with a molecular tracer to detect early endometriosis growth, making catching it much easier.
Currently, most women go through an incredibly lengthy diagnosis process, which on average takes nine years and four months from the first GP visit.
For Lorna McBain, 22, getting her diagnosis took a gruelling decade.
Lorna’s periods began at age 12 and came with severe pain and very heavy bleeding, which, to begin with, Lorna thought was normal.
But, when the pain became so intense that Lorna was passing out, vomiting, struggling to walk and repeatedly having to miss school, she began to think something was not right.
Lorna said: “Everything was harder and everything was painful and felt like such a chore.”
After years of scans, treatment and feeling ignored by doctors, Lorna got a diagnosis at 20 after paying £8,000 for a private laparoscopy.
To get to this point involved years of self-advocacy and repeated appointments and tests.
Lorna said: “It’s really hard to advocate for yourself in medical spaces, especially when you do not feel as knowledgeable as the people who are meant to be diagnosing you.
“I think more than anything, it really made me doubt myself.”
This new scan technique would have made a significant impact on Lorna, who said: “I feel excited for other people, and it makes me feel hopeful for young people as well.
“I think for me, an earlier diagnosis would have meant a lot more self-understanding.”
Nottingham Endometriosis Support Group leader, Jenni Johnson, was diagnosed with endometriosis at 24.
The condition has impacted her fertility, mobility and eventually led to her having a full hysterectomy.
Now, at 38, Jenni uses crutches due to symptoms caused by endometriosis on her sciatic nerve.
Jenni said: “If this technology was available when I was getting diagnosed, I’d have a better quality of life.
“I could do more.
“Having something that can diagnose young women sooner will make such a big impact.
“It benefits not just endo sufferers, but it impacts the NHS so much as well, because it’d be saving loads.”
