You could fly to the moon 456 times in the time it would take to get an endometriosis diagnosis, according to research that looked into the condition and how it affects tens of millions of women in the world.

According to a study looking into the condition, the average time between the onset of endometriosis symptoms and getting diagnosed is seven and a half years, leading to years of pain and a lack of support to help manage the condition.

This is also as long as it would take to climb Mount Everest 45 times or run over 14,000 marathons.

Part of the reason for this is that whilst a specialist gynaecologist can spot the links between chronic pain, fatigue and period spotting.

However, because many women with endometriosis have different symptoms and all of these symptoms can be caused by other conditions, they can be misdiagnosed in some cases.

As well as this, the past two years have seen large parts of the health system divert their priorities, meaning that many appointments are delayed and therefore so is appropriate care.

The only way to diagnose endometriosis is via laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgery where a small camera looks directly at the tissue and looks for signs of damage to the tissue.

There have been campaigns to raise awareness that have highlighted just how many women it affects and how strongly the symptoms can affect people, with a BBC study, in particular, leading to a government inquiry about the condition and what can be done to help patients.