Women with painful condition 'ignored' by doctors

Young women from West Yorkshire have criticised a "lack of support" available for a painful and debilitating medical condition.

The three patients, all in their 20s, said they either struggled to get a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) confirmed despite numerous GP appointments, or were not given effective treatment.

PCOS causes painful and irregular periods, and affects up to one in 10 women in the UK.

The NHS said it "strongly advised" any woman concerned about their health to contact their GP.

Alex Offer, 24, from Leeds, said it took nine years before she was told she had PCOS after doctors "ignored" her concerns from the age of 15.

One GP dismissed her symptoms as being caused by stress and anxiety, she said.

Laaraib Khan, 24, also from Leeds, reported a similar experience.

Although she received her diagnosis at the age of 13 after her mother pushed her GP to take her complaints seriously, in the past 11 years she said she had been given "little support" and was left to manage the syndrome herself.

"You have to lean on other women who are going through it rather than going to your GP, who will most likely turn you away," she said.

Research by the charity Verity PCOS UK found that 60% of women with the disorder have struggled to get a diagnosis, while 95% said they had encountered problems trying to access NHS support.

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Source: BBC News, 3 June 2024