Endometriosis pain leads to missing school and work for two-thirds of women with the condition, new study finds

More than two-thirds of women with endometriosis missed school or work because of the pain caused by the condition, in a survey of more than 17,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States. important new research published in the Journal. of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders.

Our study also found that black and Hispanic women were less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis compared to white women. Interestingly, women who identified as part of the LGBTQ community were more likely to receive an endometriosis diagnosis than heterosexual women.

We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the period 2011 to 2019. The survey data use weights adjusted to account for the racial makeup of the US, which means our sample. 17,619 women represent 51,981,323 women in the US population.

We specifically looked at factors related to quality of life, such as poverty, education and job impairment, as well as race and sexual orientation.

I am a physician-scientist and researcher in women’s health, working with OB-GYN specialists from Yale and the University of Texas.

Why is it important

Endometriosis is a chronic, often painful condition that affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. It occurs when cells that would normally grow inside the uterus instead grow outside the uterus, such as the ovaries or even distant organs such as the lungs or brain. These abnormal lesions respond to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, causing pain when stimulated by the hormones that control the menstrual cycle.

Our study sheds light on how endometriosis, despite its prevalence, remains underdiagnosed and under-researched. We found that 6.4% of women of reproductive age in the US have been diagnosed with endometriosis. More than 67% reported that they missed work or school, or were unable to perform daily activities, due to endometriosis-related pain.

Our study highlights disparities in the diagnosis and management of endometriosis among different ethnic groups. Black women were 63% less likely to have endometriosis, and Hispanic women were 55% less likely than white women. non-Hispanic. This difference may reflect the historical bias of health care, which shows the need for a more equal approach.

Furthermore, our study highlights the importance of considering women’s health from different demographics, with a specific focus on sexuality. We found that non-heterosexual, bisexual, transgender and queer women were 54% more likely to receive an endometriosis diagnosis than compared to straight women. Our study was the first to examine the prevalence of endometriosis among heterosexual women at a national level in the US.

We found no significant association between endometriosis and other quality of life indicators such as poverty, education or employment status, suggesting that this condition affects women across different socioeconomic levels. .

More research is being done

Our work adds to the growing body of evidence that Black women are underdiagnosed with endometriosis and that their reported pain symptoms are often overlooked.

Explanations for this inequity include health care bias against minority women and limited access to medical care among Black women. Research also shows that many medical professionals as well as medical students and residents believe that Black women have a lower pain threshold compared to white women.

This is another reason why pain symptoms among Black women with endometriosis may be overlooked. UK researchers have reported similar findings, attributing the disparity to administrative bias and unequal medical care.

One study estimates that the lifetime costs associated with having endometriosis are about $27,855 per year per patient in the US, costing the country about $22 billion a year in health care costs.