For thousands of women, getting an endometriosis diagnosis can take years. Now, a new scan technique may help spot the condition earlier, a pilot study at Oxford University suggests.

The technique uses specialised CT scans combined with a molecular tracer to detect areas of early endometriosis, which is often missed by conventional scans.

If confirmed in larger studies, this could help give women an explanation for their symptoms earlier on, scientists say.

Endometriosis affects one in 10 women in the UK and is often a painful condition in which cells similar to those lining the womb grow elsewhere in the body. It can take an average of nine years to get a diagnosis.

Symptoms can be severe and wide-ranging – from very heavy periods to extreme tiredness and abdominal pain – often mimicking other conditions.

People frequently end up undergoing several tests, including ultrasounds and sometimes MRI scans.

But these standard scans do not always pick up on the disease and mainly detect changes that often appear with more advanced diseases, says Dr Tatjana Gibbons, lead researcher on the study.

“This means many struggle with symptoms, despite being told they have normal imaging results.

“Getting a diagnosis earlier can help people make decisions and plans about their life,” Dr Gibbons adds.

‘A very long journey’

Gabriella Pearson, co-founder of the charity Menstrual Health Project, was diagnosed with endometriosis aged 23, after more than 10 years of worsening symptoms and a number of misdiagnoses.

The 33-year-old says that if she had been “listened to and diagnosed earlier she would have been in a very different position now”.

Endometriosis has affected her bowel, bladder and ovary and left her with lasting damage.

“Because of the pain and the complications I wasn’t able to progress with my career and go to university,” says Pearson.

“There is a knock-on effect in terms of mental health, finances, work and fertility. So I think if people are diagnosed earlier and have a better chance of prolonged quality of life at a younger age, it could really help.”