Hermione Blakiston and Erica Kantor warn that delayed diagnosis is having a negative impact on outcomes for women, while placing an increased strain on healthcare services. They look at the potential of promising biomarkers in closing the ‘diagnosis gap’.
Diagnostic delays remain a persistent challenge in women's healthcare. In the UK, endometriosis can take more than nine years to diagnose,1 leaving women to navigate years of unmanaged symptoms. Similarly, mastitis — which affects one in four lactating women — frequently goes undetected until inflammation becomes severe, even though early self-management can be highly effective for preventing escalation.
Delayed diagnosis has a negative impact on patient outcomes and increases strain on healthcare services, with many women presenting multiple times or undergoing repeated investigations. For example, in the UK, nearly half of women with endometriosis see a GP more than ten times before it is diagnosed.2
Scientific understanding is not always the limiting factor. Promising biomarker candidates exist for both endometriosis and mastitis. The real challenge lies in translating these biomarkers into diagnostic tools that are practical, affordable, and robust enough for routine use at the point of need. This is especially important for enabling earlier detection outside specialist settings.
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