Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 4 April 2025 to Question 42370, when his Department plans to respond to the Office for National Statistics’ findings published in February 2025 on the impact of an endometriosis diagnosis on women’s labour market outcomes; and what assessment he has made of those findings.

The publication from the Office of National Statistics in February 2025 on the labour market impacts of endometriosis provided the first robust national evidence in England quantifying its impact on earnings and employment. The analysis provides evidence that endometriosis is associated with persistent reductions in earnings and employment following diagnosis, which likely reflects movement into lower paid roles, reduced working hours, and ongoing health-related productivity constraints.

The Government does not currently have plans to respond to the Office for National Statistics’ findings directly. The findings from this analysis have fed into the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April 2026, and helped inform the actions committed to in it.

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions, including endometriosis, where women experience unacceptably long delays to diagnosis, pain being dismissed, and fragmented care.

Clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain, including endometriosis, will be redesigned to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals, and long waits.

Women with endometriosis will also benefit from single points of access for gynaecology referrals and a shift away from hospital only care towards neighbourhood and community settings.

Menstrual problems, including those caused by endometriosis, are prioritised as one of the first pathways to be delivered through community-based services and the new virtual hospital, NHS Online.