Endometriosis affects around one in ten women and people assigned female at birth, yet it remains one of the most under recognised and delayed diagnoses in primary care. Many patients spend years being told their pain is normal, that symptoms are stress related, or that nothing can be done. These delays are driven not only by the complexity of the disease, but by gender bias, time pressured consultations, gaps in training and the tendency to minimise women’s pain.

In primary care, endometriosis often presents in subtle, fragmented and non textbook ways: bowel and bladder symptoms, fatigue, low mood, infertility, pelvic pain, or repeated visits for the same unresolved issues. Without a high index of suspicion, opportunities for early diagnosis and timely referral are missed.

This session equips clinicians to recognise endometriosis earlier, ask better questions and provide more validating, effective support. It explores the lived experience of patients, the unequal burden faced by women from minoritised backgrounds, and how primary care can play a pivotal role in reducing diagnostic delay, suffering and long term harm.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the common and less typical presentations of endometriosis in primary care.
• Recognise red flag patterns that should trigger further investigation or referral.
• Understand why diagnostic delays are so common, including the role of bias, system pressures and gaps in training..
• Use trauma informed and patient centred consultation techniques to elicit symptoms more effectively.
• Initiate appropriate first line management, safety netting and referral pathways.
• Support women emotionally and practically while they await diagnosis or specialist care.
• Contribute to more equitable outcomes by recognising how race, culture and socioeconomic factors affect presentation and access to care.