THE INVISIBLE BURDEN OF ENDOMETRIOSIS: A REVIEW OF DIAGNOSTIC, TREATMENT, AND HEALTH POLICY CHALLENGES

Bartosz Janik, Kornelia Domagała, Małgorzata Ziółek, Magdalena Maroszek, Kamil Szymczak, Ariadna Bakier, Albert Wiatr, Agata Olecka, Filip Gałązka, Jakub Cegielski, Nikodem Mozgała, Jakub Ślęzak
In: International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science · 2026 · vol. 2(2(50)) · doi:10.31435/ijitss.2(50).2026.5494 · W7163524332
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review examines the epidemiology, quality of life impact, diagnostic delays, treatment limitations, and health policy challenges associated with endometriosis, a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This narrative review synthesizes literature from major databases to characterize the multifaceted burden of endometriosis, focusing on epidemiology, quality-of-life and productivity impacts, diagnostic delays, treatment limitations, and health policy barriers. Across included studies and policy reports, the review finds that endometriosis contributes substantial physical, psychological, and economic costs, with ongoing delays driven by patient, provider, and system-level factors, while current treatments have limited effectiveness/accessibility and high recurrence rates. A key limitation is that, as a narrative review, it synthesizes evidence without a fully systematic approach to study selection and weighting. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it reviews diagnostic, treatment, and health-policy challenges that drive the overall burden of the disease.

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Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease affecting approximately 6-13% of women worldwide, with estimates exceeding 100 million individuals. It presents with heterogeneous symptoms, including chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility, significantly impairing quality of life. Despite its prevalence, endometriosis remains under-recognized and often inadequately addressed at clinical and policy levels. Objective: This review aims to examine the multifaceted burden of endometriosis, including its epidemiology, impact on quality of life and productivity, diagnostic delays, treatment limitations, and health system and policy barriers. Methods: A narrative review of the literature was conducted using major databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Recent systematic reviews, meta-analyses, observational studies, and policy reports were analyzed to identify key themes and evidence gaps. Results: Endometriosis is associated with substantial physical, psychological, and economic burden, including reduced work productivity and high healthcare costs. Diagnostic delay remains a major challenge due to factors at the patient, provider, and system levels. Current treatments are often limited in effectiveness and accessibility, with high recurrence rates. Fragmented healthcare systems, insufficient specialist training, and a lack of national policies further exacerbate inequalities in care. Conclusions: Endometriosis represents a significant yet often invisible public health issue. Addressing its burden requires integrated care models, improved diagnostic strategies, increased research funding, and comprehensive policy action.

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindysmenorrheadyspareuniainfertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (23)

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