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Endometriosis Awareness Month

Endometriosis Awareness Month is observed each March. The condition, in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, affects more than 1 in 10 people with a uterus, typically between ages 15 and 44. It causes chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, painful sex, and is a leading cause of infertility.

For Black women, the endometriosis story is shaped by a persistent and damaging myth: that Black women feel less pain than other patients. This belief, which has no scientific basis and is rooted in the era of antebellum medical experimentation, continues to influence clinical practice. Studies have documented that Black women are significantly less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis than white women with the same symptoms. Research published in PMC found that compared with white women, Black women were half as likely to receive an endometriosis diagnosis (odds ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.29-0.83). When Black women do receive a diagnosis, it often comes years later than for white women, who already wait an average of 7 to 10 years for diagnosis.

The consequences compound. Black women presenting with pelvic pain are more likely to be diagnosed with fibroids or pelvic inflammatory disease, both of which are genuinely more common in Black women, but which can also delay endometriosis investigation. When Black women do reach surgery, they experience higher rates of open hysterectomies rather than minimally invasive procedures, and significantly higher rates of major and minor postoperative complications.

Awareness month matters because the first step to changing these outcomes is naming the problem. Black women with chronic pelvic pain have the right to a complete diagnostic workup, a second opinion if the first is dismissive, and a provider who takes their symptoms at face value.

The data, plainly

What you can do this month

For individuals: - If you experience severe cramping that disrupts daily life, pain during or after sex, pain with bowel movements or urination during your period, or infertility, ask your gynecologist specifically about endometriosis. You should not have to manage the diagnosis yourself, but naming it directly helps. - Endometriosis cannot be definitively diagnosed without laparoscopy, but a provider can note symptoms, rule out other causes, and discuss hormonal management as a diagnostic trial. If you are dismissed, ask for a referral or seek a second opinion. - Track your symptoms, including pain intensity on a 0-10 scale, on which days they occur, and what makes them better or worse. Documented symptom patterns are harder to dismiss than verbal reports alone. - Connect with the Endometriosis Foundation of America and the Endometriosis Association for peer support and provider directories.

For providers: - Revise your diagnostic approach to chronic pelvic pain in Black patients to include endometriosis as a primary differential, not a default fallback after excluding other diagnoses. - Implicit bias CME that addresses pain perception and race is available through ACOG and the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons.

Resources

Sources

  1. NCBI/PMC: Disparity in endometriosis diagnoses between racial/ethnic groups (Seear et al.)
  2. PMC: Disparities in Women With Endometriosis Regarding Access to Care, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management in the United States
  3. New York State DOH: March is Endometriosis Awareness Month 2025
  4. She Plus Foundation: Inclusive Care -- Addressing Disparities in Endometriosis Treatment

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