![\"Nurse](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/closeup-nurse-holding-nasal-swab-135581225.jpg\")
A saliva test could be a less invasive and faster way to detect a difficult to diagnose condition affecting millions of women. RomanR \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\nThe wait may finally be over for millions of women.<\/p>\n
A new test which uses a saliva sample may make detecting a serious reproductive condition a much easier and less invasive process.<\/p>\n
The technique could also provide results faster, meaning earlier diagnosis as well as better treatment and care.<\/p>\n
A saliva test could be a less invasive and faster way to detect a difficult to diagnose condition affecting millions of women. RomanR \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
On average, women may have to wait up to 11 years between their first symptoms and a diagnosis of endometriosis, according to\u00a0Yale Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n But that wait may be drastically shortened, thanks to a new test, Endotest.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence<\/a> (NICE) in the UK gave the go-ahead for the test, which checks a saliva sample for microRNAs that can indicate whether endometriosis is likely present.<\/p>\n While NICE said the test is not meant to be a standalone diagnostic tool, the innovative product has been approved for use in clinicians\u2019 offices in England and Wales for three years.<\/p>\n Affecting about 1 in 10 women worldwide, endometriosis<\/a>\u00a0happens when the uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus, causing cramping and chronic pain.<\/p>\n Endometriosis symptoms are often seen with other conditions like painful periods, although plenty of women with the disease have no history of painful periods or pelvic pain.<\/p>\n Symptoms can include fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath, irritable bowels, urinary frequency and infertility, among many more.<\/p>\n Dr. Sheeva Talebian<\/a>, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist,\u00a0previously told The Post<\/a> she was haunted by how long \u201cwe\u2019ve conditioned women to believe that debilitating pain is normal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cQuite frankly, even amongst gynecologists, this disease is still not fully understood or recognized,\u201d Talebian said. \u201cTherefore, even a gynecologist may miss some of the varying symptoms and pass these women off to other specialists for testing.\u201d<\/p>\n During the diagnostic process, many women undergo extensive workups \u2014\u00a0everything from colonoscopy and endoscopy to abdominal MRIs \u2014 but may still walk away with no clear findings.<\/p>\n This makes the condition \u201cone of the most common missed diagnoses,\u201d according to Talebian.<\/p>\n Along with the symptoms, endometriosis is difficult to diagnose because of the tools, or lack thereof, available to doctors.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no good blood test or imaging modality that can detect endometriosis,\u201d Talebian said, adding that pelvic MRIs might not catch the disease in its early stages.<\/p>\n The stage of the disease may also not correspond to the severity of symptoms.<\/p>\n If left untreated, the illness can result in several health complications, and not just for certain parts of the reproductive system either.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the most severe cases, we see what\u2019s called a frozen pelvis, which is when chronic inflammation and scar tissue cause the ovaries, bladder and bowel to fuse together, distorting your internal anatomy,\u201d Talebian explained.<\/p>\n It can also impact fertility by significantly diminishing the ovarian reserve and physically blocking the fallopian tubes.<\/p>\n So the sooner endometriosis is detected and diagnosed thanks to tests like Endotest, the sooner treatment can begin.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/black-female-doctor-talking-woman-135581231.jpg\")
Endotest was approved to use in the UK to detect endometriosis, which can take up to 11 years to diagnose in women. Drazen \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n