Is Endometriosis a rare disease?

“Is Endometriosis a rare disease?”

No, Endometriosis is not rare.

In fact, there is a saying in the Endometriosis community:
“Endometriosis is the most common disease you’ve never heard of”.

According to the World Health Organization, “Endometriosis affects roughly 10% (190 million)” people around the world, and “is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain.”

Many people do not know what Endometriosis is, and/or assume it’s a rare condition, likely because it’s still taboo even in the 21st Century to speak up about menstrual and reproductive health issues. This in turn leads to less funding for research on Endometriosis.

World Health Organization source:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis

See also: “Endometriosis: Why is there so little research?”
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/endometriosis-why-is-there-so-little-research

See also: “How long does it take from the time Endometriosis is suspected to the time it is officially diagnosed?”
https://www.livingwithendometriosis.org/2024/03/11/how-long-does-it-take-from-the-time-endometriosis-is-suspected-to-the-time-it-is-officially-diagnosed/

See also: “Time for global health policy and research leaders to prioritize endometriosis”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10696045/