{Name of MP}
House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear {Name of MP},

Worldwide EndoMarch UK - Saturday 28 March 2015

Did you know one in ten women suffer from endometriosis, many of whom endure unrelenting pain that affects every aspect of their lives each day? That’s over 1.5 million women in the UK right now who desperately need support and information to help them understand this debilitating condition. Endometriosis devastates the lives of these women and their families. We urgently need your support to raise awareness for this disease and to help with this event.

Endometriosis UK, the only national charity dedicated to providing information and support to those with endometriosis, is taking part in an international event, the Worldwide EndoMarch. On Saturday 28 March 2015, peaceful marches will be taking place in dozens of capital cities around the World, including New York, Washington D.C., Sydney, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cape Town, Dublin, Madrid, to name a few. Endometriosis UK is organising the UK march in London.

The objective of the Worldwide EndoMarch 2015 is to raise awareness about what endometriosis is and the impact it has on the lives of women and girls. The aims of the march are:

  • To show our commitment to furthering the empowerment of women and girls with endometriosis.
  • To promote the further education of the public and healthcare professionals, in order to promote early detection and improved treatment.
  • To find a cure for endometriosis, and to develop non-invasive diagnostic tests.
  • To educate our government to allocate funding for endometriosis.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis (pronounced end - oh – mee – tree – oh – sis) is a chronic and debilitating condition that causes painful or heavy periods or indeed pain and discomfort at any time of the month. It may also lead to infertility, fatigue and bowel and bladder problems. Endometriosis can affect all women and girls of a childbearing age, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Every month a woman’s body goes through hormonal changes. Hormones are naturally released which cause the lining of the womb to increase in preparation for a fertilized egg. If pregnancy does not occur, this lining will break down and bleed – this is then released from the body as a period.

In endometriosis, cells like the ones in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body. These cells react to the menstrual cycle each month and also bleed. However, there is no way for this blood to leave the body. This can cause inflammation, pain and the formation of scar tissue.

Endometriosis can have a significant impact on a woman’s life in a number of ways, including:

  • Chronic pain, both during and after reproductive age
  • Fatigue / lack of energy
  • Depression / isolation
  • Problems with a couple’s sex life and relationships
  • Fertility issues
  • Difficulty in fulfilling work and social commitments

Diagnosis and treatment

Endometriosis affects an estimated 1.5 million women across the UK and 176 million women worldwide (a similar number to those women who suffer from diabetes). It takes an average of 7.5 years to be diagnosed with the condition leaving millions of women in agony and distress for far too long. The time from first symptoms to diagnosis has come down since 2005, when the average was 11 years, but it is still far outside acceptable limits.

  • Currently the only way to diagnose Endometriosis is through surgery.
  • Treatments include surgery, hormone treatments (which mask the symptoms rather than treat the disease) or pain management.
  • There is no known cause of Endometriosis.
  • There is NO CURE for Endometriosis.

In 2012, the World Endometriosis Research Foundation published the outcome of the Endocost study, which looked at the impact of endometriosis on healthcare costs, work loss and quality of life, and have found that the cost to the UK economy is around £11.6 billion (€14.2 billion) annually based on 10% of childbearing women being affected by endometriosis. The full study can be viewed at:

As my MP, I would like to ask you to represent my views and raise awareness of this event with the Prime Minister. [Optional - Insert specific information about own experience of endometriosis here]

We would like to invite you to join us in this event. This involvement can be on the day of the March or by helping us to promote the event and endometriosis overall. If you would like more details then please contact or if you wish to register for the March then please go to

In addition Endometriosis UK has started a petition toDavid Cameron asking for endometriosis to be discussed in parliament. The petition is called “Endometriosis needs faster diagnosis & greater education amongst the medical profession”. Here is a link to the petition:

I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
{your name}