Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 4;14(1):8028.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43913-9.

Time for global health policy and research leaders to prioritize endometriosis

Affiliations

Time for global health policy and research leaders to prioritize endometriosis

Linda C Giudice et al. Nat Commun. .

Abstract

Endometriosis is an incurable, under-diagnosed, systemic inflammatory disease affecting millions world-wide. Common symptoms include life-impacting pain, gastrointestinal/urinary symptoms, excessive fatigue, and infertility. Global public health policies are urgently needed to promote awareness, implement multidisciplinary care, and fund research for aetiology, biomarker discovery, and effective therapies for symptoms associated with endometriosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

L.C.G. is funded by the National Institutes of Health P01 HD106414, “UCSF Stanford Endometriosis Center for Discovery, Innovation, Training and Community Engagement”. She is co-author of patent filed by the Regents of the University of California, San Francisco, U.S. Application Serial No. 63/149,022, “Endometriosis-Related Methods and Compositions”. She is past-President of the World Endometriosis Society and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and is a consultant for Celmatix, Myovant Sciences, and Gesynta Pharma. AH’s institution (University of Edinburgh) has received payment for consultancy and grant funding from Roche Diagnostics to assist in the early development of a possible blood diagnostic biomarker for endometriosis. A.W.H.’s institution has received payment for consultancy fees from Gesynta and Joii. A.W.H. has received payment for a presentation from Theramex. A.W.H.’s instutution has received grant funding from the MRC, NIHR, CSO and Wellbeing of Women for endometriosis research. A.W.H. is listed as a co-inventor on a UK Patent Application (No· 2217921·2). A.W.H. is President-elect of the World Endometriosis Society and co-Editor in chief of Reproduction and Fertility. AH has been a member of the NICE and ESHRE Endometriosis Guideline Groups. AH is a Trustee and Medical Advisor to Endometriosis UK. S.A.M. receives research support from National Institutes of Health, USA Department of Defense, AbbVie, and Marriott Family Foundations. She is President of the World Endometriosis Society, the Field Chief Editor for Frontiers in Reproductive Health and has served on advisory boards for AbbVie, Roche, and Abbott.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Endometriosis is a global disease needing global solutions.
Basic research is key to understanding its causes and molecular and genomic underpinnings, leading to novel diagnostics and therapeutics to alleviate symptoms and ultimately discover a cure. Education of professional and lay communities and leaders throughout the world about endometriosis and its intersection with social determinants of health are key components to improve the lives of those affected. Moreover, multidisciplinary care is essential for holistic management of this complex and multi-dimensional disorder.

References

    1. Saunders PTK, Horne AW. Endometriosis: etiology, pathobiology, and therapeutic prospects. Cell. 2021;184:2807–2824. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.04.041. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Missmer SA, et al. Impact of endometriosis on life-course potential: a narrative review. Int J. Gen. Med. 2021;14:9–25. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S261139. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. As-Sanie S, et al. Assessing research gaps and unmet needs in endometriosis. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2019;221:86–94. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2019.02.033. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Giudice LC, Oskotsky TT, Falako S, Opoku-Anane J, Sirota M. Endometriosis in the era of precision medicine and impact on sexual and reproductive health across the lifespan and in diverse populations. FASEB J. 2023;37:e23130. doi: 10.1096/fj.202300907. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mirin A. Gender disparity in the funding of diseases by the U.S. National Institutes of health. J. Women’s Health (Larchmt.) 2021;30:956–963. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8682. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types