Severe pain and still no clear pathway for care
Today, 5 October 2026, my 75-year-old father drove me from Kerry to Cork after a week of severe pain.
My GP practice had tried to arrange hospital care. I was informed that three private hospitals in Munster could not accept me because they did not have an endometriosis team.
At the specialist service in Cork, I was assessed in triage and had blood taken. No scan was performed. I was told that my presentation was not considered an emergency and that I would see the consultant in November.
I left without understanding how my concerns about my remaining ovary, including possible torsion or a ruptured cyst, had been assessed without imaging.
I also had to sit in a maternity waiting room. I lost my fertility in 2016 because of delayed access to endometriosis care. Being expected to sit in that setting added grief and trauma to an already distressing experience. Being sent home while still in severe pain was distressing enough. The waiting environment felt beyond cruel.
Appropriate waiting spaces must be part of compassionate, trauma-informed care for patients whose fertility has been affected or lost, including those harmed by delays in accessing treatment.
This comes 15 months after my emergency ambulance transfer to Cork in July 2025.
Since then, I have travelled to Romania at significant personal expense, attended the launch of the national endometriosis framework, qualified for the Endometriosis Surgery Abroad Interim Scheme and travelled to London - only to be told that my case was too complex for that team.
I remain without an identified multidisciplinary team able to provide the coordinated care I need.
I am asking the Minister for Health and the HSE to explain:
Where complex endometriosis patients should go when symptoms become severe.
Who is responsible for coordinating care when an overseas team cannot treat an approved patient.
What practical support is available while patients wait for specialist appointments.
How services will address fertility-related grief and provide appropriate waiting spaces.
I will be writing to the Minister following today’s experience, seeking urgent intervention and a written response.
I have shared my full account on Substack. Please note that it discusses medical trauma, severe pain and fertility loss.
Read “Endometriosis and emergency care - where are we supposed to go?”:
https://doireannbarrett.substack.com/p/endometriosis-and-emergency-care?r=2lilgm&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=title
This is why our call for a national inquiry remains necessary. Published frameworks must lead to accessible care and accountability.
Please sign and share:
https://www.change.org/Irish_Endometriosis_Inquiry