III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 451 

Recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease 

for women and designating March 2018 as ‘‘Endometriosis Awareness 

Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 22, 2018 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet 

chronic disease for women and designating March 2018 

as ‘‘Endometriosis Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas 6,500,000 women in the United States are living 

with endometriosis; 

Whereas endometriosis is a chronic disease affecting 

176,000,000 women throughout the world and an estimated 1 in 10 women in the United States ages 18 

through 49; 

Whereas medical societies and patient groups including the 

Endometriosis Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the National Association of 

Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, the American 

Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the American SoVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:27 Mar 23, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR451.IS SR451

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•SRES 451 IS 

cial Health Association all have expressed the need for 

greater public attention and updated resources targeted 

to public education about this unmet health need for 

women; 

Whereas endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to that 

normally found in the uterus begins to grow outside the 

uterus; 

Whereas, while endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological disorders in the United States, there is a lack 

of awareness and prioritization of endometriosis as an 

important health issue for women; 

Whereas women can suffer up to 6 to 10 years before properly diagnosed; 

Whereas approximately 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 of all women with endometriosis will have difficulty getting pregnant; 

Whereas endometriosis is a painful and debilitating disorder; 

Whereas endometriosis is associated with increased health 

care costs and poses a substantial burden to patients in 

the health care system; 

Whereas the total annual direct health care cost of symptoms 

associated with endometriosis is $56,000,000,000, or 

nearly $11,000 per patient; 

Whereas 51 percent of endometriosis patients report that the 

disease detrimentally affects their performance of their 

job; 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

found that the average number of ‘‘bed days’’ for patients with endometriosis was 18 days per year; 

Whereas women with endometriosis can lose 11 hours per 

work week through lost productivity; 


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•SRES 451 IS 

Whereas, in 2010, endometriosis patients were hospitalized 

over 100,000 days because of this disease; 

Whereas there is a need for more research and updated 

guidelines to treat endometriosis; 

Whereas the research dollars from the National Institutes of 

Health dedicated to endometriosis has dropped from 

$16,000,000 in 2010 to $7,000,000 in 2018; 

Whereas there is an ongoing need for additional clinical research and treatment options to manage this debilitating 

disease; and 

Whereas there is no known cure for endometriosis: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates March 2018 as ‘‘Endometriosis 

3 Awareness Month’’; 

4 (2) recognizes the importance of endometriosis 

5 as a health issue for women that requires far greater 

6 attention, public awareness, and education about the 

7 disease; 

8 (3) encourages the Secretary of Health and 

9 Human Services— 

10 (A) to provide information to women, pa11 tients, and health care providers with respect to 

12 endometriosis, including available screening 

13 tools and treatment options, with a goal of im14 proving the quality of life and health outcomes 

15 of women affected by endometriosis; 


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•SRES 451 IS 

1 (B) to conduct additional research on 

2 endometriosis and possible clinical options; and 

3 (C) to update information, tools, and stud4 ies currently available with respect to helping 

5 women live with endometriosis; and 

6 (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

7 the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the 

8 Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Æ 


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