TY - JOUR T1 - Diagnosing endometriosis in primary care: clinical update JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 101 LP - 102 DO - 10.3399/bjgp15X683665 VL - 65 IS - 631 AU - Jennifer L Johnston AU - Helen Reid AU - David Hunter Y1 - 2015/02/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/65/631/101.abstract N2 - Prompt diagnosis of endometriosis is a clinical imperative for general practice. Women with endometriosis typically face a diagnostic delay of 7–10 years, despite more frequent GP and accident and emergency attendances than women without the disease.1,2 Endometriosis has a relatively high prevalence (up to 10% of women in the general UK population and up to 50% of infertile women) and causes high morbidity in terms of both pain and infertility.2 Despite this, the condition remains poorly recognised in practice, meaning that patients must often navigate misdiagnosis and suboptimal care. While there have been recent significant advances in the evidence regarding pathogenesis and management, this literature is largely directed towards a secondary care audience. We present key issues below from a primary care perspective.Diversity of presenting symptoms, overlap with benign conditions, and a low index of suspicion in both primary and secondary care all contribute to women with endometriosis falling between the cracks. Other contributors include cultural attitudes normalising painful menstruation, a lack of clinician awareness of updated guidelines on distinguishing normal from pathological, and concern over the invasive nature of laparoscopy.1,2 Paradoxically, while women … ER -