It is International Women's Day. It is also endometriosis awareness month. Endometriosis is a hugely debilitating disease. Women who experience this disease often have crippling pain, fatigue, loss of body confidence and the inability to work, play sport or participate in hobbies for many days at various different times of the month. In fact, this disease affects one in ten women. There are more women who suffer from this disease than there are sufferers of diabetes. Despite this huge level of people and women who suffer, many suffer in silence. They suffer in silence because there is a huge lack of information, and we have no national framework to deal with this disease. As a result of this vacuum of information, GPs often do not have the tools and the referral pathways to effectively treat their patients. In some cases, the pill is prescribed, and that has a positive impact around the women's symptoms, but the consequence and flipside of this is that is actually has a masking effect. As a result of this masking effect, oftentimes women in this country only realise they have endometriosis later in life in their thirties when they wish to start families, etc. This delayed diagnosis has a significant impact on fertility for many women. It is unacceptable. Deputies, please. If I could finish.

Sentiment score: -0.11

It is unacceptable that women in their thirties have to wait so long for a proper diagnosis. It is unfair and wrong. A total of 44% of women undergoing IVF are actually silent sufferers of endometriosis. We must address this. We need to ensure that the national framework happens. The Endometriosis Association of Ireland is doing great work, but right now there is no pathway and it is causing major difficulties. We need to ensure that we have a national framework. The framework should address issues regarding education, awareness, a pathway referral system for GPs and specialists who are trained in dealing with this. Many women are actually going abroad to access treatment because we do not have any significant facilities in this country. I urge the Minister of State to ensure that the framework happens and that it happens in a speedy fashion because it is unacceptable that women have to wait until they are well into their thirties in some cases before they realise and are diagnosed with this disease. I also raise the issue of the means test. By and large, it is the women of Ireland who do the bulk of caring - caring for children who may have disabilities, for elderly parents, etc. - and it is incredibly unfair on these women who have to give up their work, oftentimes their social lives as well, that they do not receive a cent from the State for doing amazing work for their families and great work for our community, work that has a huge economic benefit as well. These women are means tested off the strength of their husband's salaries. That is unfair and it predominantly affects women in this country. I ask the Minister to please remove the means test for carers, address the issues in endometriosis and ensure that we have a national framework for sufferers.

Sentiment score: 0.03