Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects about 10 percent of women of reproductive age. It is present in up to 80 percent of pelvic pain cases and 63 percent of unexplained infertility in women. The condition occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing severe pain and other debilitating symptoms.
Diagnosing endometriosis is often delayed, sometimes by as much as 12 years after symptoms begin. This is due to factors like the normalization of menstrual pain, the need for invasive diagnostic surgery, limited understanding of the condition’s complexity, and frequent misdiagnoses.
