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Nearly three times as many women were prescribed medicines for endometriosis and fibroids in England between April 2025 and March 2026 compared with the previous year.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) today said its analysis of NHS Business Services Authority and RXinfo Define data showed over 12,000 women were prescribed relugolix CT or linzagolix by GPs in 2025-26 compared with 4,100 prescribed the drugs in 2024-25.

“The number treated is higher because treatment usually starts in hospital, while primary care figures mainly capture repeat prescriptions,” NICE said.

Its analysis also showed the number of tablets provided to patients on the NHS more than tripled during the same period, from 1.2 million to 3.7 million.

Relugolix CT (combination therapy) and linzagolix are oral GnRH antagonists that reduce the hormones linked to endometriosis and fibroids. The medicines are recommended by NICE for adults with moderate to severe fibroid symptoms.

Dr Nilofer Husain, a consultant gynaecologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “With such long waits for both diagnosis and surgery, the NICE recommendation of these tablets addresses a need for long-term, non-invasive treatment.”

NICE gave examples of women who "felt ignored or had their pain dismissed". Lucy Ford, who has lived with endometriosis since her first period at the age of 13, said: "Doctors told me there was nothing wrong with me and tried to deny I'd ever been diagnosed with endometriosis. A doctor left me sobbing. I felt like no one was going to listen to me or believe me."

Her symptoms returned in 2024 but rather than undergo further surgery, she took relugolix CT in January this year and described it as "life-changing".

"I'm almost pain-free now. I might have the occasional flare-up, but I'm not dealing with constant pain, bloating, or multiple bowel movements a day anymore," she said.

Another patient, Clare Gallagher, 46, who started taking the medicine in October last year while waiting for a hysterectomy for her endometriosis, said her pain "was so severe" she could not do anything. “I could go to work, whereas the pain I used to get would put me in bed," she said.

Gallagher added: "I saw doctors many times but no one investigated further. By the time I reached a specialist centre, my endometriosis was so advanced that I had to have my womb, ovaries and appendix removed."

Ruth Ajayi, a 45-year-old black woman who has had fibroid symptoms since she was a teenager, was consistently told her "incredible" pain and heavy bleeding were normal. She decided to try one of the medicines instead of undegoing a hysterectomy and has avoided surgery.

"I wish more women knew about this treatment," she said, adding the dismissive responses she got could have been racially motivated.

"Every time I go to A&E, I have to beg for pain relief. I don't know if it's because I'm a black woman and there's racism embedded in the system, but this is also the story of other women, regardless of skin colour," she said.

"For many years, the health system has normalised pain and suffering in women, but that doesn't mean that we need to keep enduring it," she says. "Start listening to us. Start working with us. Start investigating. Give us adequate pain relief, and don't dismiss us."

NICE said it has also “conditionally recommended” the saliva test Endotest which “could help GPs diagnose endometriosis more quickly”.