Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

It is International Women's Day. It is also endometriosis awareness month. Endometriosis is a hugely debilitating disease. Women who experience this disease often have crippling pain, fatigue, loss of body confidence and the inability to work, play sport or participate in hobbies for many days at various different times of the month. In fact, this disease affects one in ten women. There are more women who suffer from this disease than there are sufferers of diabetes. Despite this huge level of people and women who suffer, many suffer in silence. They suffer in silence because there is a huge lack of information, and we have no national framework to deal with this disease.

As a result of this vacuum of information, GPs often do not have the tools and the referral pathways to effectively treat their patients. In some cases, the pill is prescribed, and that has a positive impact around the women's symptoms, but the consequence and flipside of this is that is actually has a masking effect. As a result of this masking effect, oftentimes women in this country only realise they have endometriosis later in life in their thirties when they wish to start families, etc. This delayed diagnosis has a significant impact on fertility for many women. It is unacceptable.

Deputies, please. If I could finish.

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