One in ten women suffers from endometriosis. Despite this, this chronic disease is still largely unknown.

Education on the subject is very important to us, as this is the first step towards greater acceptance of chronic diseases. So here are 5 facts about endometriosis:

So far, there are no cures for endometriosis. Therapies focus on treating the symptoms or surgically removing the endometriosis lesions - but this is not a permanent solution
10-15% of women between the ages of 15-50 suffer from endometriosis, that is 1 in 10 women - the number of unreported cases is estimated to be even higher
28 years is the average age for endometriosis diagnosis - on average it takes 7 years to get this diagnosis
40% of those affected have pain and need therapy, and a full 70% even suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis
50% of women with an unfulfilled desire to have children suffer from endometriosis (depending on the degree of the disease) - but pregnancy is not impossible

Endometriosis has many faces. That is why it is often referred to as the chameleon among women's diseases. Very often this is also the reason why the diagnosis of the disease takes so long.

The most common symptoms include:

• severe abdominal pain and cramps before and during your period
• severe and irregular period pains
• pain during or after sex
• Pain during gynecological examination
• Pain when having a bowel movement or urinating
• Bleeding from the bladder and intestines
• Intestinal problems such as flatulence, diarrhea or constipation

However, endometriosis also has symptoms that are not so well known. These can include:

• allergies or intolerances
• difficulty breathing
• Nausea & Vomiting
• infertility
• migraine

Did you know that the intensity of the pain is not an indication of the severity of endometriosis? It always depends on where the endometriosis focus is located. Therefore, many sufferers would not compare the disease with a chameleon, but with a T-Rex.