New 'game-changer' tests for endometriosis given green light on NHS

New 'game-changer' tests for endometriosis given green light on NHS says that the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved two new technologies to speed diagnosis for people with suspected endometriosis in GP settings. The draft recommendation gives the green light to EndoSure and Endotest for use on the NHS for three years while more evidence is collected on performance. Endotest uses a saliva sample tested for microRNAs as biological markers, while EndoSure measures electrical signals in the gut using sensor pads on the abdomen after women fast for six to eight hours and drink water for 45 minutes. Endometriosis affects around one in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK, but NICE says the average time to diagnosis is more than nine years. A separate third option, DotEndo, requires further research before approval. NICE cites a need to reduce delays that can reach 11 years for ethnically diverse communities and drive chronic pelvic pain impacting daily life.