Endometriosis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease that affects an estimated 190 million women globally, including more than 7.5 million in the United States. It is the leading cause of infertility in women and one of the most misdiagnosed conditions in modern medicine.

 

Symptoms are often misattributed or ignored. Many women are repeatedly diagnosed with urinary tract infections when the real culprit is endometriosis infiltrating the bladder. They are given rounds of antibiotics, and left wondering why the pain never goes away.

 

“For many women, this is where the spiral begins,” said Dr. Tanya Petrossian, CEO, Founder, and Inventor. “They’re given treatment after treatment that doesn’t work, because no one’s looking at the disease underneath.”

 

Endometriosis is not a surface-level condition. In 13 to 30 percent of cases, it spreads beyond the pelvic cavity, including to the appendix, where it can cause inflammation and even appendicitis. A small percentage of patients develop endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, a rare but serious malignancy that often arises from deep or longstanding disease.

 

The condition has strong associations with systemic comorbidities, including autoimmune diseases like lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, as well as inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Women with endometriosis also face significantly increased risks of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, and hypertension.

 

But the burden is not only biological. The pain is often debilitating, and unpredictable. It can derail careers, strain relationships, and create deep anxiety around dating, intimacy, and family planning. Many patients are forced to choose between their health and their ambitions.

 

“It’s not just pelvic pain,” said Dr. Petrossian. “It’s the erosion of confidence, of identity, of opportunity. It makes it harder to show up to work. Harder to start a family. Harder to live your life the way you imagined.”

 

And the cost is staggering. When factoring in direct medical expenses, lost income, failed treatments, and delayed diagnosis, the global economic burden is estimated to exceed 200 billion dollars annually.

 

“Each lesion triggers inflammation and a cascade of signaling that spreads beyond the tissue itself,” said Dr. Petrossian. “We can’t treat endometriosis as if it’s isolated. The impact is global.”