The 27-year-old was told by haematologists in 2019 that she likely has endometriosis, however, she has never received a formal diagnosis of the condition. The current average waiting time for a diagnosis for endometriosis is 8 years and 10 months in Scotland.
“I remember going to A and E on Boxing Day of 2019 after feeling really ill on Christmas Day and it was horrendous but I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” Ms Miller said.
“Doctors were dismissing my symptoms until later on in 2020. My GP said it could be gallstones or IBS. I’ve been put on medication for IBS but things have just got progressively worse.
“My health has taken a really bad dip. I’ve had treatment for a rare blood condition which haematologists are saying will likely be linked to endometriosis.”
Ms Miller says she takes 60 tablets a month including IBS medication, antidepressants and antihistamines and she worries she has been misdiagnosed.
“I’ve taken the IBS medication for four years now but it does nothing”, said Ms Miller.
“I’m still getting really bad stomach pains and some days I can’t function. I’ve said that to the GP countless times but they say there’s nothing I can do until I see a gynaecologist. They say this is a year and a half waiting list.
“It just floors me. It’s debilitating.” said Ms Miller, “I play football twice a week and sometimes I can’t do that. But, realistically, I shouldn’t miss out on that because of pain and the football makes my mental health better. It’s my time to be me and that gets taken away from me because of pain.
“If we can’t look after women’s health it’s not going to be a functioning country. I feel like an alien in my own body.”
Ms Miller’s comments come as a recent report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) – Waiting for a Way Forward – reveals waiting times for gynaecological care in Scotland have increased by over 190% in the past four years.
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In June 2024, 65,826 people were on the waiting list for gynaecology care in Scotland, according to the most recent data analysed by the RCOG.
This represents a 193% increase compared to February 2020 figures when 22,472 people were waiting.
Ms Miller said: “Every year in the Programme for Government we hear they are going to do something to tackle women’s health but they don’t seem to be. It’s like women’s health is an afterthought and we need to see something done about it. It’s ridiculous having to wait long periods of time.”
The highest number of waits for gynaecology care per 100,000 population are clustered around the west of Scotland, with Greater Glasgow having the highest concentration by population size – with 3,139 waiting per 100,000 as of June this year.
Women in the east of Scotland, including Lothian (2,455 per 100,000) and Tayside (2,672) are also experiencing long waits for care.
The RCOG says their call to action for the Scottish Government is the same for all government’s across the UK: “to deliver urgent help for women currently waiting for hospital gynaecology care, and to commit to long-term, sustained funding to address the complex systemic issues driving waiting list growth.”
However, the report went on to state that Barnett consequentials the Scottish Government receives from the UK Government “may not be sufficient to deliver what is needed to recover care in Scotland”.
Eileen McKenna, Associate Director of the Royal College of Nursing Scotland told The Herald: “This report from the RCOG is deeply concerning and highlights the continued gender health gap. Too many women are waiting too long for gynaecology treatment and the long-term impact on their physical and mental health is significant.
“The Scottish government must ensure that the Women’s Health Plan delivers the funding and resources needed to reduce waiting times and address inequalities.”
The Scottish Conservative spokesperson for women’s health said these “shocking stats” reveal the “desperate state” of women’s healthcare in Scotland under the SNP.
Annie Wells MSP said: “To allocate barely 1% of funding to gynaecological care when one in ten women receive this diagnosis at some point in their life is a betrayal of women who are already struggling with a stressful and worrying process.
“The SNP Health Secretary must urgently heed these warnings from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the face of such a stark increase.
“Rather than wasting more time and money on a women’s health plan which did nothing to address this emergency, the SNP must urgently respond to these concerns and commit to delivering proper funding for women’s health.”
Scotland’s Women’s Health Minister has said more money is being invested in women’s health as she said “excessively long waits are not acceptable”.
Jenni Minto MSP said: “We are working intensively with NHS Boards to reduce the length of time people are waiting for appointments and treatment.
“That is why one of the initial priorities of the Women’s Health Plan is to improve access for women to appropriate support, diagnosis and treatment. We have allocated over £450,000 to gynaecology from our £30 million targeted investment in planned care, delivering around 3,500 additional new outpatient appointments.”
