Dr. Geraldine Canny:

I thank the Deputy for the very relevant question. I was personally introduced to the disease in 2008 by a colleague in a clinical department and have since conducted some years of research and advocacy. The gold standard for the diagnosis of this disease is a visualisation of the lesions. As mentioned, the disease ultimately involves menstrual tissue, or tissue such as the lining of the womb, being found outside the womb in sites as distant as the lungs, the nervous system or even the brain. The current gold standard, therefore, is to use laparoscopy to visualise the lesions. In recent years, high-intensity magnetic resonance imaging, another imaging technique with certain specialised equipment, is needed to diagnose it. The issue is that no non-invasive method for diagnosis, such as by the obtention of a blood sample, has as yet been developed. Such a diagnostic kit, coupled with the education and training that health professionals and, indeed, families might have to support their loved ones who suffer from the disease, would certainly shorten the diagnosis.

In short, the reasons for the lengthy diagnosis are several. They include perhaps not having the best clinical management, a dearth of specialised medical staff equipped to diagnose the disease, the lack of information about it and the lack of a non-invasive test that would facilitate a rapid and reliable diagnosis.