Petition update: Endometriosis raised again in the Dáil - but where is the action?
On Thursday, 22 October, endometriosis was raised again during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil.
While I welcome the growing conversation and the attention being given to patients’ experiences, I have to ask: where is the action?
When will patients see the staffing, specialist expertise, coordinated care and accountability we have been calling for?
I recently attended my first public specialist endometriosis clinic in Munster, after 21 years of living with a diagnosis of stage 4 endometriosis.
The calm setting and the kindness, empathy and compassion of the team mattered enormously. After years of difficult medical experiences, feeling emotionally safe at an appointment makes a difference.
Yet I left with continuing uncertainty and the instruction to come back in six weeks.
Those six weeks represent another delay, added to years of trying to access appropriate care. My symptoms do not pause between appointments.
What I find particularly alarming is the conflicting medical reporting between my private and public care. Private scans dating back to 2023, alongside more recent private imaging, have reported disease being present. Public assessments have presented a different picture.
As the patient living with the symptoms, I need those differences explained and a clear plan for moving forward.
At the Sinn Féin Women’s Health Summit on Saturday, 17 October, I heard Dr Seán Daly speak about staffing pressures. My understanding of his remarks was that only five endometriosis positions had been filled.
That left me deeply concerned about specialist capacity and with an urgent question:
Who has the specialist training to interpret our public scans for endometriosis, and how are conflicting reports reviewed?
Patients deserve clear answers about the expertise available, access to specialist imaging review and who takes responsibility for resolving discrepancies affecting their care.
This week’s focus on invisible illness and disability makes this particularly relevant. A medical team sees us during an appointment. They do not see every difficult day at home, the cancelled plans or the effort involved in getting into that room.
Being able to speak clearly and advocate for ourselves does not make our symptoms less disabling.
I am exhausted. I feel that my body has been destroyed and decades of my life have been stolen. I continue campaigning while still trying to secure my own care.
This is why we need a National Endometriosis Inquiry.
We need an examination of delayed care, dismissed symptoms, conflicting medical reporting and the gaps that have left patients without appropriate treatment.
The women who fell through those gaps deserve to be heard. They deserve answers, accountability and justice.
Political conversations must lead to changes patients can experience in their appointments, treatment plans and daily lives.
Our petition is also on Uplift
For anyone who may be unaware, alongside our original Change.org petition launched in March 2024, our call for a National Endometriosis Inquiry is also being supported on Uplift.
If you have already signed on Change.org, please also sign and share on Uplift:
Thank you to everyone who has signed, shared, contacted their public representatives or offered kindness and support.
Every signature strengthens our collective call for answers and action.
Doireann Barrett
Petition organiser and independent women’s health campaigner