A regional publisher is launching a campaign to tell the stories of women battling to access endometriosis care.

The painful condition occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, causing pain, inflammation, and potentially infertility.

Now National World is launching its Endo the Battle campaign across its English, Scottish and Northern Irish titles, to coincide with Endometrosis Awareness Month.

It will tell the stories of women who had to seek care in the private healthcare sector, or travel abroad, including some who have travelled more than 2,000 miles for surgery, and many who waited decades for a diagnosis.

In November 2024, new research revealed that waiting lists for gynaecology in the UK had doubled, with around 750,000 women waiting for an appointment.

Average waiting times for an endometriosis diagnosis in England and Scotland are eight years and 10 months and even longer in Northern Ireland.

National World is calling on Health Secretary Wes Streeting and devolved Governments for more to be done to cut NHS waiting times and remove barriers to accessing care.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Sarah McCann, a health writer across the National World portfolio who herself suffers from the condition.

Sarah, from Belfast, said: “Living with endometriosis is an uphill battle, from getting a diagnosis to navigating daily life and even accessing healthcare.

“It took me 20 years to get a diagnosis, and since then I have had to fight at every corner for treatment – and the financial impact has been huge. But my story, sadly, is not unique.”

“Too many people are facing the tough choice of long waiting lists, paying privately, or travelling for care. I wanted to raise awareness of this and the huge impact it can have on both them and their families.

“We want to start saving for our future, not for our next surgery.”