Maths lecturer Laura Culshaw, who has endured endometriosis for 25 years, is urging Oldham MPs Debbie Abrahams and Jim McMahon to attend Monday’s Westminster Hall debate on statutory sick pay for women with the condition.

The 4.30 pm session on 13 April will examine proposals to give sufferers up to three paid sick days a month, after a public petition highlighted that women lose roughly £3,400 every five years because they must either work through severe pain or take unpaid leave.

Culshaw, whose pain has at times left her unable to walk and forced her to pause a master’s degree, wrote in a blog that she feels “dismissed, doubted, and left behind.” Endometriosis Awareness North founder Dr Anita Sharma said the average patient forfeits £56 a month in lost wages and healthcare costs, adding: “If allowed to recover from a flare-up, someone with endo is not going to try and battle through it and have even more time off.” Campaigners want flexible working, workplace rest areas and guaranteed sick pay during flare-ups, arguing the measures would save businesses and the NHS money while improving mental and physical health.

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