NHS draft guidance backs two new endometriosis tests
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Draft guidance for NHS England and Wales recommends GPs offer two non-invasive endometriosis tests — saliva-based Endotest and gut electrical signal Endosure — alongside regular checks to cut the current nine-year-plus waits.
- Endotest, the spit test that looks for genetic material, is already in use within an NHS pilot study, while Endosure is being evaluated in a clinical study at Worcestershire Acute NHS Hospital Trust.
- Endosure patients must fast for six to eight hours beforehand and then drink water for 45 minutes during the test; neither test is designed as a standalone diagnostic.
- Laparoscopy under general anaesthetic remains the current main NHS diagnostic route — a surgical procedure the new tests aim to supplement or, in some cases, sidestep.
- Ami Robertson, 23, from Glasgow, told the BBC she experienced endometriosis pain from age 16 but was repeatedly told it must be something else, including IBS, before paying privately for confirmation.
- Sharan Uppal, 46, from Huddersfield, said she lost count of GP visits and once spent over 10 hours in A&E before her daughter Simran was diagnosed via a private gut test that came back strongly positive.
- Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, welcomed the draft but said test availability must go hand-in-hand with GP and practice nurse education so symptoms stop being dismissed.
Why it matters: Roughly one in 10 women has endometriosis, and the current gold-standard NHS diagnosis requires surgery under general anaesthetic after an average wait of nine years or more; if rolled out with proper GP training, these non-invasive tests could redirect patients to earlier treatment without an operation, though rollout depends on local test availability and specialist oversight.
.png)
