[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 451--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENDOMETRIOSIS AS 
   AN UNMET CHRONIC DISEASE FOR WOMEN AND DESIGNATING MARCH 2018 AS 
                   ``ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH''

  Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Ms. Warren) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary :

                              S. Res. 451

       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 Social 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 
     healthcare 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;
       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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates March 2018 as ``Endometriosis Awareness 
     Month'';
       (2) recognizes the importance of endometriosis as a health 
     issue for women that requires far greater attention, public 
     awareness, and education about the disease;
       (3) encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services--
       (A) to provide information to women, patients, and health 
     care providers with respect to endometriosis, including 
     available screening tools and treatment options, with a goal 
     of improving the quality of life and health outcomes of women 
     affected by endometriosis;
       (B) to conduct additional research on endometriosis and 
     possible clinical options; and
       (C) to update information, tools, and studies currently 
     available with respect to helping women live with 
     endometriosis; and
       (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of Health 
     and Human Services.

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