A woman waiting for endometriosis treatment has said the pain she experiences is like having barbed wire in her body.

Laura Maguire, who is 25 and from Londonderry, has been put in an early medicated menopause as she awaits surgery – a wait which she has been told could take several years.

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), 59,733 women in Northern Ireland are now on gynaecology waiting lists, an increase of almost 18% in 12 months.

The Department of Health said “considerable work” is under way to “reduce waiting times and develop pathways for gynaecology specific conditions, including endometriosis”.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue like the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as ovaries, fallopian tubes and other organs.

“The pain is excruciating, at its worst it’s like barbed wire inside me and clinging to my organs. I am so ill I can often spend days in bed,” Maguire said.

She said she is furious that she is having to go through an early medicated menopause because there are too many people ahead of her on the surgical waiting list.

“I am only 25 and I am doing this to my body through no choice,” she said.

“I need surgery to remove the disease, but the waiting lists are too long. I’m told there are too many more serious cases ahead of me.”

She said large cysts on her ovaries are also causing pain and she’s been advised that surgery is her only option.

“My partner and I want to have more children,” she added.

“I have my little girl, but as a young woman I want to make sure that I can have an option to get pregnant again – at this stage I just don’t know.”

The new analysis from the RCOG shows that at the start of 2026, gynaecology waiting lists across the UK “remain in crisis” and waiting times in Northern Ireland remain the highest.

A spokesperson said if those waiting across Northern Ireland’s five health trusts were to stand shoulder to shoulder, the queue would be over two miles longer than it was in November 2024, stretching almost 15 miles.

Across the UK, a total of 743,312 women are waiting for essential gynaecology care.

Dr Alison Wright, president of the RCOG, said members were working tirelessly to meet rising demand but pressure across services mean capacity is stretched at every stage of care.

“Women are still waiting far too long for gynaecology care across the UK, but the picture is particularly stark in Northern Ireland,” she said.

“Our members in Northern Ireland are working tirelessly to meet this demand, but services are under extreme pressure, and capacity is stretched at every stage of care.

“It is vital that the Department of Health in Northern Ireland publishes its Women’s Health Action Plan, and we are ready and willing to work with them on practical solutions.”

In a statement, the Department of Health said women’s health is a “key area of focus”.

A spokesperson said the minister announced plans to tackle waiting lists as part of the Elective Care Framework Implementation and Funding Plan.

“The overall aim is to deliver a reduction in gynaecology waiting lists of 40% by March 2027, 65% by March 2028 and 90% by March 2029 relative to the 2024/25 baseline position,” they added.

In 2024, a major review of gynae services by the Getting it Right First-Time team (GIRFT) – an expert medical review team – said health trusts needed to re-prioritise those waiting over a year for surgery.

Its report was critical of the length of time women were having to wait.

Following an investigation by BBC News NI into gynae waiting times in 2023 the RCOG described the system as “close to the brink“.

Consultant surgeon Hans Nagar has previously said the “physical and psychological impact of waiting on women should not be underestimated”.

Nagar also said that the system for dealing with gynae conditions such as endometriosis was not working and that women in NI are “getting a raw deal“.

The latest UK-wide estimates suggest over half (56%)  of patients are now waiting over 52  weeks.

Women who have spoken to BBC News NI said waiting up to five years just to be seen by a consultant and even longer for surgery is not unusual.

Among those waiting is Marie Mullan from Belfast, who said she waited 20 years for a diagnosis.

“During that time I was told mainly by male doctors that it was just period pain and I would have to live with it,” she said.

Mullan, who was a teacher, had to take medical retirement because she said she could not physically work.

“My life has been ruined waiting for treatment for endometriosis,” she said.

“The pain is chronic – at one stage I was so bloated and unable to eat they thought I may have ovarian cancer.

“Gynae issues and especially endometriosis is just not prioritised – it is debilitating and life changing but just not taken seriously by the health service.”

While she did eventually have surgery, she said it was not successful and she has been back on the waiting list for almost two years.

The RCOG has said 2026 must be a turning point for women waiting for gynaecology care.

It has called for faster, more decisive action to support women already waiting and to tackle the underlying capacity challenges driving long delays in Northern Ireland.