is WHO’s reported average diagnostic interval for endometriosis.
Evidence & Resources
Healthcare experiences and working life
What happens in healthcare can follow a woman back into work.
Delayed diagnosis, dismissal, fragmented care, repeated appointments and treatment access can shape working life. The workplace impact may continue while a woman is still trying to understand what is happening.
Health, healthcare and work are connected.
Global evidence snapshot
Scale, context and equity matter.
of women with PCOS may remain undiagnosed.
people who menstruate lack adequate materials and facilities—showing how access shapes health and participation.
What the evidence says
Start with what is established.
01
The health evidence
WHO recognises persistent sex and gender inequities across women’s health and access to care.
02
The wider context
Endometriosis evidence documents long diagnostic delays and limited access to early diagnosis and effective treatment.
03
What matters
Menstrual health guidance warns that symptoms may be minimised or dismissed, delaying important diagnosis.
Working-life lens
The impact can appear in more than absence.
01
Capacity and participation
Uncertainty can make it harder to explain needs or request adjustments.
02
Systems and access
Repeated care seeking and waiting can affect attendance, income and confidence.
03
Trust and disclosure
Being disbelieved in one system can make disclosure in another system feel less safe.
From evidence to practice
Support begins with a respectful, individual response.
01
Listen first
Support functional impact without requiring diagnostic certainty.
02
Design practical support
Allow flexibility for investigation, appointments and changing treatment plans.
03
Protect dignity
Do not turn managers into clinicians; focus on respectful work conversations and practical options.
Women Working Well’s research purpose
What Women Working Well is seeking to understand.
Women Working Well exists to investigate the questions that remain unseen or unanswered: what is missing from the evidence, whose experiences are under-represented, and how women’s health, healthcare, working life and life beyond work connect. These topic-specific priorities help shape the Global Women and Work Study.
01
What is missing
Health and employment datasets are rarely connected.
02
Who is under-represented
Diagnostic delay studies often omit employment consequences.
03
What research should connect
Research needs to capture misdiagnosis, revised diagnosis and the cost of repeated care seeking.
Sources and further reading
Global evidence and authoritative guidance.
These sources support the key statements on this page. Statistics are contextual, time-bound and should be read with their source definitions. Evidence from one country, occupation or health condition should not automatically be generalised to all women.
World Health Organization — Women's health →World Health Organization — Endometriosis →World Health Organization — Menstrual health →
Important: This page provides general evidence and workplace information. It is not medical, legal or employment advice and does not replace individual clinical care or professional advice.
Keep exploring
See the connected evidence picture.
Return to the Evidence & Resources Hub or explore the Global Women and Work Study.
Evidence & Resources →