ENDOMETRIOSIS campaigners in the Borders have met with a local MSP to discuss how diagnosis and treatment of the condition can be improved.

Members of Endometriosis South of Scotland met with Rachael Hamilton MSP to raise awareness of the condition and how debilitating it can be for some sufferers.

According to Endometriosis UK, around 1.5million women and those assigned female at birth are living with endometriosis – a condition where cells similar to those in the lining of the uterus are found in other parts of the body.

Becky Leigh, one of the campaigners, said: “With Endometriosis awareness month quickly approaching, it was the perfect opportunity to meet with Rachael Hamilton and fellow sufferers of the disease to discuss the battles we have faced and continue to endure, especially medically.

“I personally faced seven years of unbearable pain with no medical explanation nor intervention, pushing me to go privately for my diagnosis.

“I am still yet to find any sort of relief from this awful illness which continues to take so much from me and too many others.

“This makes it all the more important to raise awareness and speak to the likes of Rachael who is working so hard so that we can change the awful circumstances attached to endometriosis.”

Those living with endometriosis can wait an average of nearly eight years to receive a diagnosis from when symptoms first appear.

There is no cure for endometriosis, and treatments for the condition – which include a range of surgical interventions, hormonal treatments, and pain management – aim only to ease the symptoms presented by endometriosis.

Symptoms of endometriosis include pain, heavy bleeding, pain during or after sex, fatigue, and depression.

And the only way to diagnose the condition is through a laparoscopy, a process where a small camera is fed through a cut near the naval to see if there are signs of endometriosis on the pelvic organs.

Following the "poignant" discussion with Endometriosis South of Scotland campaigners, Ms Hamilton – who represents Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire for the Conservatives – said: “Meeting with these inspirational women has confirmed my worries that not enough is being done to help endometriosis sufferers.

“This poignant discussion with women from across the Scottish Borders who have endometriosis gave me a real insight into the struggles they face when trying to access treatment.

“This debilitating condition leaves women in agony, unable to go about their daily lives.

“There are obscene gaps in the current healthcare system, which are failing these women.

“More must be done to improve and hasten treatment pathways, so that women receiving a faster diagnosis and get the necessary treatment and care they deserve.

“I will be raising this issue with the Scottish Government and I hope to find a constructive solution that everyone can support.”