Women and Equalities Committee welcomes government response to report on ‘medical misogyny’ in women’s reproductive healthcare

Responding to WEC’s December report, the Government said that:

“we recognise that much more needs to be done to support women with reproductive health conditions, particularly around listening to women, improving information and education, improving access to healthcare services”.

MPs on the cross-party committee, chaired by Labour MP Sarah Owen found women experiencing painful reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding are frequently finding their symptoms ‘normalised’ and their ‘pain dismissed’.

Despite such conditions being highly prevalent in the UK, accessing diagnosis and treatment can take years, leaving women and girls to “suck it up” and endure pain and discomfort that interferes with every aspect of their daily lives, including their education, careers, relationships and fertility, while their conditions worsen.

Pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological health, a lack of education and ‘medical misogyny’ has contributed to poor awareness of these conditions, the report concluded.

In its response to WEC’s report, it said:

“The government agrees with the overarching aims of the findings and recommendations for improving women’s health outcomes and experiences. We acknowledge the impact that reproductive health conditions have on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in education and the workforce.”

It added:

“The government recognises that raising awareness of reproductive ill health is crucial to improving people’s experiences of care and ensuring that no one feels that their pain is dismissed, regardless of ethnicity or socio-cultural situation or belief…However, we know that women are not always listened to when they first seek care – and that some groups experience this even more acutely.

"Racial biases in how care is delivered are not acceptable. We are committed to addressing racial biases and ensuring that all individuals experiencing pain are believed and supported to access treatment quickly.”

On the report’s conclusions and recommendations on training, the Government said:

“As the report highlights, some reproductive health conditions are not always straightforward to diagnose. Nonetheless, it is not good enough that women with reproductive health conditions often experience a delayed diagnosis, which can lead to disease progression, more invasive treatments and more time in pain.

"It is essential that all health and care professionals in primary care are able to support their patients, and we encourage primary healthcare professionals to take up relevant training and professional development offered in women’s reproductive health.”

The report recommended the Government commits to reducing waiting times for an endometriosis diagnosis to less than two years by the end of this Parliament and to improved understanding and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding over the same period.

In its response, the Government said it:

“recognises that women suffering with gynaecological conditions have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact that long wait times for diagnosis and treatment for conditions such as endometriosis have had on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in education and the workforce”.

It added:

“We are working with NHS England and the Women’s Health Ambassador on how government will take forward the Women's Health Strategy for England by aligning it to the missions and forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan. We will take into account the committee’s recommendations on specific areas of focus as we do this.”

Chairs comment

Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Labour MP Sarah Owen said:

“The Committee welcomes the Government’s response to its report on women’s reproductive health conditions. We will keep a close eye on developments and will return to the issue in 12 months’ time to assess progress on all our recommendations.

“There are areas where the Government could have gone further, including in relation to period products and on the Employment Rights Bill. The report recommended Clause 26 of the Employment Rights Bill should be amended to make clear that supporting women with reproductive health conditions falls under the definition of advancing gender equality. The Committee wants to see tangible improvements in the management of women's pain during elective procedures.

“As the Government acknowledges, women suffering with gynaecological conditions have been ‘failed for far too long’ and it is imperative that progress is made across the board on diagnosis, education and awareness, accessing support and treatment, pain of investigation, plus training and standards.

“It is vital the Government recognises the benefits of increased investment in early diagnosis and treatment of women's reproductive health conditions and provide the additional funding necessary to truly transform the support available to the millions of women affected by reproductive ill health in this country.”

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