Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I attended a briefing held by Deputy Gino Kenny and the Endometriosis Association of Ireland in the audiovisual room earlier today. I was horrified to hear the stories of what some women have gone through and their horrendous pain and fatigue. Some remained undiagnosed for years. As it was a woman's health issue, the way these women were treated was awful. Endometriosis is estimated to affect between 2% and 10% of all women in the general population. That means over 100,000 women in Ireland are affected. The stories told by the women were very upsetting. The life of a very good friend of mine was destroyed by endometriosis in many ways. Her work was affected, she was constantly exhausted and the pain she went through impacted many relationships in her life.

Those giving the briefing wanted to highlight the issue. It was almost like a breath of fresh air. I felt it was time this issue was highlighted. I call on the Government to examine education on this issue in schools. Funding healthcare for women with endometriosis is vital, as is funding proper research into the disease. We heard from women about the lack of understanding from medical teams who had no understanding of what was going on and had no answers.Some of them also had to go to England. I emphasise the importance of education in schools, funding of healthcare for women with endometriosis, and funding for proper research. It would be great if the Minister could come in and talk to us about this.