Endometriosis is a common gynecologic condition, affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-aged
women. It commonly presents with pelvic pain, painful periods, and infertility and
can significantly have an impact on one’s quality of life. Early exploration into
the pathophysiology of this condition identified race as a risk factor for endometriosis,
with the condition predominantly identified in white women. It is still unclear whether
there is a biological basis for this conviction or whether it can be explained by
methodological and social bias that existed in the literature at that time. Although
there is more recent literature exploring the association between endometriosis and
race/ethnicity, studies have continued to focus on the prevalence of disease and have
not taken into account possible variation in disease presentation among women of different
ethnicities. Furthermore, information on diverse populations by race/ethnicity, other
than white or black, is quite limited. This paper explores the history of how the
association between endometriosis and whiteness was established and whether we still
ascribe to a certain stereotype of a typical endometriosis patient today. Furthermore,
we discuss the potential implications of such a racial bias on patient care and suggest
areas of focus to achieve a personalized and patient focused approach in endometriosis
care.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 06, 2019
Accepted:
January 31,
2019
Received in revised form:
January 29,
2019
Received:
May 22,
2018
Footnotes
Dr Singh has participated in a speakers’ bureau and received research grants and consulting fees from Bayer Pharma, Allergan, and AbbVie. Dr Singh has also received consulting fees from Cooper Surgical. Dr Bougie has received honoraria for speakers’ bureaus for Allergan and AbbVie. The authors confirm these sponsorships had no involvement in the study. Dr Healey reports no conflict of interest.
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