'My endometriosis pain is excruciating but I'm still waiting for surgery'

A woman waiting for endometriosis treatment has said the pain she experiences is like having barbed wire in her body.

Laura Maguire, who is 25 and from Londonderry, has been put in an early medicated menopause as she awaits surgery - a wait which she has been told could take several years.

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), 59,733 women in Northern Ireland are now on gynaecology waiting lists, an increase of almost 18% in 12 months.

The Department of Health has previously said they accept the findings of earlier expert reports, that gynaecology waiting times are unacceptable and they are included in the current review of hospital waiting lists.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue like the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as ovaries, fallopian tubes and other organs.

"The pain is excruciating, at its worst it's like barbed wire inside me and clinging to my organs. I am so ill I can often spend days in bed," Maguire said.

She said she is furious that she is having to go through an early medicated menopause because there are too many people ahead of her on the surgical waiting list.

"I am only 25 and I am doing this to my body through no choice," she said.

"I need surgery to remove the disease, but the waiting lists are too long. I'm told there are too many more serious cases ahead of me."

She said large cysts on her ovaries are also causing pain and she's been advised that surgery is her only option.

"My partner and I want to have more children," she added.

"I have my little girl, but as a young woman I want to make sure that I can have an option to get pregnant again - at this stage I just don't know."

The new analysis from the RCOG shows that at the start of 2026, gynaecology waiting lists across the UK "remain in crisis" and waiting times in Northern Ireland remain the highest.

A spokesperson said if those waiting across Northern Ireland's five health trusts were to stand shoulder to shoulder, the queue would be over two miles longer than it was in November 2024, stretching almost 15 miles.

Across the UK, a total of 743,312 women are waiting for essential gynaecology care.

Dr Alison Wright, president of the RCOG, said members were working tirelessly to meet rising demand but pressure across services mean capacity is stretched at every stage of care.

"With the right investment, there is a real opportunity to change this situation for women.

"By re-prioritising the health needs of 51% of the population, we can make genuine improvements to women's lives - ensuring they can access the high-quality care they need, when they need it," she said.