A new report has warned that women experiencing painful reproductive health conditions are frequently finding their symptoms ‘normalised’ and their ‘pain dismissed’ when seeking help.
The report from the parliamentary women and equalities committee, a cross-party group of MPs, focused on women’s reproductive health conditions and found that despite such conditions being highly prevalent in the UK, accessing diagnosis and treatment can take years.
The report cited a 'clear lack of awareness and understanding of women's reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners', particularly when those conditions occur in young women and girls.
It calls on the NHS to 'urgently implement a training programme to improve the experience' of accessing treatment and diagnosis for women and girls with reproductive ill health, and says that improving early diagnosis, including through the provision of follow up appointments, must be a priority to prevent a deterioration of symptoms.
CSP assistant director Sara Hazzard said: 'It is truly appalling that millions of women have and continue to be let down due to a systemic failure to prioritise women’s health. There is a huge amount of work to do to repair this including improved education and increased research into gynaecological conditions, providing teams with adequate staffing and resources and the modernisation of services.
Pelvic health physiotherapists are crucial to ensuring timely access to care for women with pelvic health issues throughout their life course and during the perinatal period.
'We are calling for pelvic health physio as part of women’s health hubs and for the 10-year plan to include physiotherapists' involvement in the roll out of NHSE's perinatal pelvic health services (PPHS).
'These services must be prioritised to ensure that every woman in the UK receives the care she deserves.'
Vice chair of the CSP professional network Pelvic Obstetric & Gynaecological Physiotherapy Lucia Berry said: 'These findings highlight a systemic failure to prioritise women’s health.
'Stigma, the normalisation of pain, and inadequate training across the healthcare workforce - not just doctors - are leaving women and girls without the understanding or strategies needed to manage pain and pelvic health conditions.
This failure has far-reaching consequences, impacting service provision, education, careers, and relationships, while leading to more complex and costly treatments over time.
'I see first-hand the urgent need for workforce reform in pelvic health. Members repeatedly highlight challenges such as insufficient access to resources, limited training opportunities, and the impact of growing waiting lists.
'It is clear that systemic changes are needed. Outdated policies that stifle innovation and penalise access to care must be urgently reformed. Training physiotherapists, nurses, and GPs to recognise and manage pelvic health conditions is critical.
'Integrating pelvic health specialists into primary care, supported by ringfenced funding for education and research, would help break the cycle of dismissal and delayed care, transforming outcomes for women and girls.'
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