Endometriosis affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive age women and girls globally (2)

It [Endometriosis] may affect more than 11% of American women between 15 and 44. Researchers think that at least 11% of women, or more than 6½ million women in the United States, have endometriosis.[1] Researchers think endometriosis may affect as many as one in every two women with infertility.[6]

Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological problems affecting an estimated 5.5 million women in North America, but this condition may occur at a subclinical level in half of all women following the Western diet, as discovered by autopsy[1].

About one in a dozen young women suffer, and it accounts for about half the cases of pelvic pain and infertility.

It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility.

“Endometriosis is a major cause of disability and compromised quality of life among women.” It is “a chronic disease which is under-diagnosed, under-reported, and under-researched.”

For patients, it “can be a nightmare of misinformation, myths, taboos, lack of diagnosis, and problematic hit-and-miss treatments overlaid by a painful, chronic, stubborn disease.” Pain is what best characterizes the disease: pain, painful intercourse, heavy irregular periods, and infertility.

About one in a dozen young women suffer, and it accounts for about half the cases of pelvic pain and infertility. It’s caused by what’s called “retrograde menstruation.” Instead of the blood going down, it goes up into the abdominal cavity, where bleeding tissue of the uterine lining can implant onto other organs.

The variable and broad symptoms of endometriosis mean that healthcare workers do not easily diagnose it and many individuals suffering from it have limited awareness of the condition. This can cause a lengthy delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis (3)

"Studies reveal that there is an average delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis of between 8 and 12 years. Little is known about the reasons for delays in diagnosis women's experiences of primary care prior to diagnosis."