[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 46 (Thursday, March 16, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E333-E334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARRY LOUDERMILK

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2017

  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, 
where we recognize the impact this disease has on the quality of life 
for women throughout our country. The lack of awareness about 
endometriosis creates an environment that delays treatment and grows 
the cost of care.
   This condition, in which the tissue that forms the lining of the 
uterus is found in areas outside the endometrium, causes severe pain in 
the body. Endometriosis occurs in about one in ten women of 
reproductive age, and is most often diagnosed in women in their 30s or 
40s. This disease can be treated with medication, surgery, or sometimes 
both.
   Roughly five million women in the United States suffer with 
endometriosis, costing an estimated $119 billion annually. It can take 
more than nine years, from the onset of symptoms and visits to 
specialists, for women to receive a diagnosis of endometriosis; and 
women with endometriosis are 1.35 times more likely to need surgery or 
stenting to open blocked arteries.
   The general lack of awareness about this disease can contribute to 
the unnecessary suffering of patients and the rising public costs of 
this disorder. We must help to bring awareness of endometriosis in 
order to foster the

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health and well-being of women across America.

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