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Endometriosis Facts and Figures

The latest facts and figures about endometriosis.

 

  • 1 in 10 women and those assigned female of birth of reproductive age in the UK suffer from endometriosis.1
  • 10% of women world wide have endometriosis - that’s 176 million worldwide.1
  • The prevalence of endometriosis in women with infertility can be as high as to 30–50%.2
  • Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK.3
  • Endometriosis affects 1.5 million women and those assigned female at birth, a similar number of those affected by diabetes.4
  • On average it takes 8 years from onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis.5
  • Endometriosis costs the UK economy £8.2bn a year in treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs.6
  • The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no definite cure.

 

 

References for Endometriosis Facts and Figures

1. Rogers PAD'Hooghe TMFazleabas A, et al. Priorities for endometriosis research: recommendations from an international consensus workshop. Reprod Sci 2009;16(4):335-46.

2Meuleman C, Vandenabeele B, Fieuws S, Spiessens C, Timmerman D, D'Hooghe T. High prevalence of endometriosis in infertile women with normal ovulation and normospermic partners. Fertil Steril 2009;92(1):68-74.

3. University College London Hospitals. General information about Endometriosis. Accessed February 2014.

4Diabetes UK: Diabetes prevalence 2012. (April 2012). Diabetes affects around 2.9 million people, of which slightly less than half of this are women.

5Endometriosis in the UK: Time for Change - APPG on Endometriosis Inquiry Report 2020

A total 2890 women with endometriosis took part in a public awareness survey for Endometriosis UK. The average time given for diagnosis time from symptoms to diagnosis was 7.5 years. A similar finding of 7.4 years was found in: 

Arruda MS, Petta CA, Abrão MS, Benetti‐Pinto CL. Time elapsed from onset of symptoms to diagnosis of endometriosis in a cohort study of Brazilian women. Hum Reprod 2003;18(4):756-759.

6Simoens S, Dunselman G, Dirksen C, et al. The burden of endometriosis: costs and quality of life of women with endometriosis and treated in referral centres. Hum Reprod 2012;27(5):1292-9. 

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