Nine Years Too Long — Endometriosis, the NHS, and Why Waiting Isn't Good Enough

Nine years. That's how long the average woman waits for an endometriosis diagnosis in the UK. Nine years of pain, dismissal, and being told it's normal. In this episode SJ and Pegsy dig into the refreshed UK Women's Health Strategy, published April 2026, and ask the question nobody in government seems keen to answer: warm words and new frameworks are welcome, but who is actually accountable for change? With over three quarters of a million women waiting for gynaecology care, this isn't just a health crisis — it's a workplace crisis. Undiagnosed and unsupported conditions are quietly damaging careers, mental health, and financial security every single day. In this episode: What the renewed Women's Health Strategy actually says — and what it doesn't The endometriosis diagnosis gap and its human cost How undiagnosed conditions affect careers, income, and mental health What managers can do right now — curiosity, trust, and reasonable adjustments Why awareness without accountability changes nothing Share this episode. Push for action, not just awareness. ☕ Support us on Buy Me a Coffee 🎧 Listen & subscribe: https://heelsinthehierarchy.podbean.com/ ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeelsintheHierarchy Links mentioned in this episode: Government & Policy The Renewed Women's Health Strategy for England — GOV.UK (April 2026) BBC News — "Health strategy bids to stop women being 'ignored, gaslit and humiliated' in NHS" BBC Radio & Podcasts BBC Radio 4 Today Programme — 15 April 2026 (Search for 15 April episode — available 30 days) BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour — 15 April 2026 (Available on BBC Sounds) Woman's Hour on Spotify Woman's Hour on Apple Podcasts Key Reports & Research Endometriosis UK — Response to Renewed Women's Health Strategy (April 2026) Endometriosis UK — "Years of being dismissed, ignored and belittled" (February 2026) RCOG — "A Work in Progress": Evaluating the Women's Health Strategy (2025) RCOG Full PDF Report RCOG — Response to Renewed Strategy (April 2026) RCOG — Almost Three-Quarters of a Million Women Waiting (January 2026) Parliamentary Reports Women and Equalities Committee — "Medical Misogyny is Leaving Women in Unnecessary Pain" (December 2024) Full Report PDF Women and Equalities Committee — Menstrual Health of Girls and Young Women (March 2026) House of Commons Library — Access to Endometriosis Services Hansard — Westminster Hall Debate: Women's Health Strategy, Endometriosis and Fibroids (March 2026) Further Reading The Independent — "Women waiting too long for NHS care because of medical misogyny" (April 2026) Digital Health — "£1.5m FemTech Fund Launched Under Women's Health Strategy" (April 2026) Women's Health Strategy as Part of the NHS Long Term Plan #HeelsInTheHierarchy #WomensHealthStrategy #MedicalMisogyny #Endometriosis #NHSWomensHealth #DismissedDelayedDeservingBetter #WomenInLeadership #WorkplaceAdjustments #PodcastForWomen #EndoAwareness