Endometriosis and cultural diversity: improving services for minority ethnic women.

Endometriosis is a chronic, disabling condition. Symptomatic disease is usually characterised by pelvic, abdominal pain and lower back pain, and dyspareunia. Other symptoms such as urinary and bowel dysfunction may be present in some women and endometriosis is associated with up to 40% of attendance at fertility clinics. Although there are several medical and surgical treatments for endometriosis there is no definitive cure. Estimates of incidence vary between 5 and 15% of the adult female population. Research with women from majority communities has shown that endometriosis impacts on all aspects of a woman’s life, and may severely disrupt normal functioning. This research project is the first UK study which has explored the ways in which minority ethnic women experience endometriosis and its treatment