Endometriosis diagnosis can take a decade or more, ACOG says
Endometriosis afflicts 1 in 10 women worldwide, and for many, recognition of the condition comes only after years of uncertainty. The painful condition causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow on other parts of the body.
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists says people can wait a decade or more after the onset of symptoms to receive an endometriosis diagnosis.
New tests being used in other countries aim to help address that delay. They are raising hopes among doctors and patients, but they are not currently available in the U.S., and some experts expect them to be a useful tool but not a complete solution.
The experience of Zoë Armstrong, 31, illustrates what can be at stake in that wait. When she got an ultrasound report showing signs of endometriosis, she called her mom and cried — after years of suffering and seeking help from doctors, she finally had an answer.
“To see it on paper, I was like, ‘I’m not crazy,’” she recalled. “I very much knew what I was feeling in my own body.”
Armstrong’s experience is not unusual, given the college’s estimate that diagnosis can take a decade or more after symptoms begin.