Abstract:
In women of reproductive age, health economic costs are estimated to be considerably
higher for endometriosis than for conditions such as Crohn’s disease, migraine and
hypertension, and similar to the cost of diabetes. However, more awareness of
endometriosis among patients and politicians is needed to create a better climate for
research funding in the area of endometriosis in particular, and women’s health in general.
Recent collaboration between patients, physicians and politicians in the EU has shown that
such efforts can be successful. Many arguments exist to organize the clinical care for
women with advanced endometriosis in centers of excellence, but continuing education of
primary-care physicians also remains a priority. New molecular techniques are resulting in
new hormonal and nonhormonal targets for the noninvasive diagnosis and treatment of
endometriosis. A future diagnostic serum assay might contain various elements from
inflammatory serum markers to genetic/microarray/proteomics markers, owing to the
multifactorial features of endometriosis.