Endo the Battle
2025To mark Endometriosis Awareness Month in March 2025, National World launched a powerful new campaign – Endo the Battle – across its titles in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, to shine a light on the women fighting for access to care.
Endometriosis affects an estimated 1.5 million women in the UK – a painful and often debilitating condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body. It can cause chronic pain, infertility, and have a devastating impact on quality of life. But for many, the battle doesn’t stop at symptoms – it continues through years of misdiagnosis, long NHS waiting lists, and the financial burden of private treatment.
Endo the Battle is telling the stories of women who’ve waited decades for a diagnosis, travelled thousands of miles for surgery, or been forced to pay privately for care. Some have waited nearly 11 years just to be heard.
The campaign is spearheaded by Sarah McCann, a health writer at National World who herself lives with the condition.
National World reported that in November 2024, new research revealed that gynaecology waiting lists in the UK had doubled, with around 750,000 women waiting for an appointment. The average wait for an endometriosis diagnosis is now eight years and 10 months in England and Scotland, and even longer in Northern Ireland and Wales.
National World launched their campaign to call on the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting and devolved governments to take urgent action to cut NHS waiting times and remove the barriers that are forcing women to choose between pain and exorbitant medical fees.
The campaign shared stories from across the UK – stories of resilience, frustration, and hope – amplifying the voices of those who feel they have been left behind. Sarah writes: “We are telling the stories of those who have had to seek care in the private healthcare sector, or travel abroad, to make those in power aware of the huge impact this can have on both them and their families.”
National World have encouraged members of the public to get in touch to share their story of what it has been like living with endometriosis, planning to collect the responses and share them in a letter to health ministers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland “to highlight the reality of navigating care – and call on those in power to end the battle.”
"Living with endometriosis is an uphill battle, from getting a diagnosis to navigating daily life and even accessing healthcare.
“It took me 20 years to get a diagnosis, and since then I have had to fight at every corner for treatment – and the financial impact has been huge. But my story, sadly, is not unique.”
“Too many people are facing the tough choice of long waiting lists, paying privately, or travelling for care. I wanted to raise awareness of this and the huge impact it can have on both them and their families.
“We want to start saving for our future, not for our next surgery.”
Sarah McCann, a health writer across the National World portfolio