Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on her appointment. I am delighted she is here and to hear all her plans. I was really delighted to hear her mention endometriosis, which is what I will talk about today. It was great to hear other Senators discuss it. As Senator Clifford-Lee mentioned, it is a disease that affects one in ten women in Ireland, yet it remains widely misunderstood, underfunded and inadequately treated. These women are not just statistics; they are our sisters, daughters, friends and colleagues, many of whom have been left to suffer in silence. Endometriosis is not just a bad period. It is a chronic, inflammatory and whole body disease that causes extreme pain, infertility and, in severe cases, damage to vital organs. It takes an average of nine years to receive a diagnosis in Ireland. Women go through nine years of pain, missed opportunities and of being dismissed. For many, by the time they are diagnosed, the disease has spread beyond the reproductive system, affecting the bladder, bowels, diaphragm and even the lungs.

At present, treatments for endometriosis are outdated and mismanaged and there is a complete lack of specialised care. Instead of receiving gold standard excision surgery, which is the only proven treatment, women in Ireland are being prescribed hormone therapy, chemical menopause or, worse, unnecessary hysterectomies. These are not cures. They are stopgaps, leaving women to deteriorate further. The HSE has promised to provide public clinics but they are oversubscribed and lack trained specialists. Women are left with no option but to travel abroad to London, Romania or the US at enormous personal cost.This is not a choice; it is a failure of our system. We must act now. I am calling for the plans the Minister talked about to be acted upon. We could introduce specialised centres for endometriosis that would be staffed properly with suitably trained experts; not just gynaecologists, but multidisciplinary teams comprising urologists and colorectal and pain management specialists. There could also be a nationwide awareness campaign in order that young girls, parents, teachers and all healthcare professionals might recognise the symptoms early. Women with endometriosis are missing from our society. They are absent from work, from education and from their own lives. This is not just a health issue; it is a human rights issue.