A patient has declared that a hospital's new, less invasive womb cancer test made her feel like women's health is finally being taken seriously - a sentence that probably deserves its own medical breakthrough.

Angela Ransby, 56, from Ipswich, who has battled endometriosis for 20 years, visited Ipswich Hospital after experiencing post-menopausal bleeding. Expecting the usual painful and invasive procedures, she was instead greeted with a new test called WID-easy, which is about as close to a smear test as womb cancer screening gets.

The test is also being trialled at Colchester Hospital, and Dr Wendy MacNab, clinical director for gynaecology at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), is positively glowing about it. "I felt it was really important because why would I want to offer, as a gynaecologist, a less effective service?" she said, making the old methods sound like something from the dark ages.

Ransby's endometriosis has caused "debilitating" and "indescribable" pain over the years, leading to a partial hysterectomy, bowel resection, and even spread to her lungs. After a year on hormonal treatment, she faced post-menopausal bleeding - and a doctor who delivered some surprisingly good news: "If you'd have come in a week ago or two weeks ago, we wouldn't have been able to offer you what we can offer you now, which is this new swab."

Ransby was thrilled, noting that Ipswich had been selected for the trial. "It's not my experience to go to women's health in the NHS and Ipswich Hospital, and come out thinking, 'Bloody hell, that was good, that was even tolerable'," she said, which might be the most enthusiastic endorsement an NHS gynaecology department has ever received.

ESNEFT is the first trust in the East of England to trial WID-easy, and results come back within days rather than weeks. Previously, women would undergo ultrasound scans that often produced false positives, leading to unnecessary invasive procedures. Now, a simple swab from the vagina and behind the cervix can provide results in three to five days, with a very low risk of missing cancer. If cancer is detected, further tests are arranged, and more patients can be seen more quickly.

Dr MacNab, also a consultant gynae-oncologist, called the test a "no brainer" and sees "all the knock-on benefits". "It's been a really busy few months setting it up, but it's also been a real pleasure to introduce something that seems to have such a positive response," she said, adding that even other departments are feeling the "positive glow".

Ransby, now a self-proclaimed champion of the test, is telling everyone she knows. "I'm telling everybody, going, 'Oh I'm a real champion of it now', because I think it's hard enough as a patient who requires that level of treatment," she said.

So, there you have it: a medical innovation that's quicker, less invasive, more accurate, and less uncomfortable - and it makes patients feel like their health actually matters. Who knew that was possible?