Endometriosis Research: Why Are We Still in the Dark Ages?

In a drop🩸 :  It’s 2025. We have AI diagnosing diseases, billionaires trying to colonize Mars, and yet… we still don’t have a non-invasive test for endometriosis, a disease affecting 1 in 10 women worldwide. 

Endo Research is a Joke (But We’re Not Laughing)

Endometriosis is as common as diabetes, yet it gets a fraction of the funding. Case in point:

🩸Delayed Diagnosis: On average, it takes 7 to 9 years for a woman to receive an endometriosis diagnosis.

🩸Economic Impact: Endometriosis costs the U.S. economy approximately $22 billion annually in lost productivity and medical expenses.

🩸Underfunded Research: Despite affecting millions, endometriosis research receives significantly less funding compared to conditions like diabetes or asthma.

And yet, people are still being told to "just take birth control" or—our favorite—"just get pregnant."

Why Is Endo Research So Stuck?

🩸No $$$ – The funding gap is massive. Women’s health is seen as "niche" despite making up half the population (wild, right?).

🩸Medical Gaslighting – Women’s pain has been ignored for centuries (hysteria, anyone?). Endo is just another chapter in the “It’s all in your head” playbook.

🩸Slow Innovation – The latest treatments? Birth control from the '60s, drugs that mimic menopause (fun!), and literal surgery. Science, please do better.

The Future of Endo Research: Hope or Just Hype?

Not to be all doom and gloom—some exciting research is happening. An Australian blood test for endometriosis could significantly reduce the average seven-year diagnosis time. 

Aspira Women's Health in Shelton also received a $10 million federal grant to develop a blood test for early detection of endometriosis, aiming to provide fast, non-invasive diagnostic results within 48 hours.

But realistically, until endo gets serious funding, progress will be painfully slow.

So, what can we do? Demand change. Sign petitions. Donate to research. Share your story. And maybe—just maybe—one day, nobody will have to explain to doctors what endometriosis even is.

We've got to believe that that will come one day!