Endometriosis affects about 10-15% of women of reproductive age in Italy; the pathology affects about 30-50% of infertile women or who have difficulty conceiving. The peak occurs between 25 and 35 years of age, but the disease can also appear in younger age groups. The diagnosis often comes after a long and expensive journey, most often lived with serious psychological repercussions for the woman. To draw attention to this highly disabling disease, World Endometriosis Day was established in 2014, which occurs today, with many initiatives also in our country.
It is a chronic and recurrent benign disease, characterized by the presence of endometrium, a mucous membrane that normally lines the inner surface of the uterus, in an ‘anomalous’ area, i.e. different from the normal site of the uterus and can affect women as early as the first menstruation (menarche) and accompany her until menopause. Endometriosis is included in the list of chronic and disabling pathologies, in the most advanced clinical stages, recognizing to these patients the right to benefit from some specialist control services without exemption.