Following the recent recommendation from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Yorkshire-based healthcare provider, LivingCare Group, has strengthened its commitment to women’s health with the launch of Endotest, a pioneering test focused on supporting earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes for endometriosis.
With an average diagnosis time of 8-10 years for endometriosis, the technology offers a new approach to investigating a condition that affects more than one in 10 women.
This week, NICE updated its draft guidance following public consultation, recommending Endotest, a saliva-based test detecting a microRNA biomarker signature, as the only technology currently recommended for diagnosing endometriosis in primary care.
The Yorkshire healthcare provider will be among the first providers in the North of England to offer the test, giving local patients access to a new, non-invasive approach that could help transform the way endometriosis is investigated and diagnosed.
Key symptoms of endometriosis can range from severe or worsening period pain, persistent bloating to difficulty getting pregnant. These symptoms can often be normalised or mistaken for other conditions, leaving women facing debilitating pain, fertility challenges and prolonged uncertainty without the right support or answers.
The test has the potential to address longstanding challenges within the endometriosis diagnostic pathway, which can involve invasive keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic. Reviewed by NICE in September this year, Endotest provides clinicians with a saliva-based sample to support earlier investigation, more informed clinical decision-making and treatment planning.
Endotest analyses tiny biological markers in saliva to assess whether endometriosis is likely to be present, with the results provided to the treating clinician to support diagnosis and decisions around further care. By requiring only a saliva sample, the test offers a simpler way to gather information that could help determine whether further investigation is needed.
For LivingCare, the introduction of Endotest forms part of a wider ambition to bring emerging women’s health diagnostics closer to patients across the region, while supporting greater awareness of conditions that have historically been underdiagnosed and overlooked.
Discussing the new service, Dr Rebecca Mawson, General Practitioner and Women’s Health Specialist, said: “For too long, women with endometriosis have had to live with pain and uncertainty while waiting for answers – often for years at a time. The development of a diagnostic treatment that can accurately analyse the risk of endometriosis through a simple saliva sample represents a really important shift in how we think about diagnosis and has the potential to be genuinely pivotal for women’s health.
“Introducing Endotest as part of the diagnostic pathway means earlier answers, less time living with unexplained symptoms and potentially avoiding invasive procedures where they are not required.”
As part of its investment in women’s health, LivingCare Group has also announced the launch of its WID-easy service, a simple, non-invasive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test designed to help doctors assess women aged 45 and over who experience unusual bleeding and identify those who may be at greater risk of bowel and womb cancer.
Dr Mawson is a women’s health expert at LivingCare Group and NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care at the University of Sheffield, specialising in women’s sexual and reproductive health, with particular research interests in endometriosis, PMOS, contraception, hormonal health and menopause. She combines frontline clinical practice with research focused on improving access to and experiences of women’s healthcare.
Founded in 2002, LivingCare Group delivers care to both private and NHS patients across Yorkshire, with clinical specialisms including fertility, cardiology, musculoskeletal care, urology and advanced diagnostics.
