Endometriosis can elude diagnosis for years. What to know about the disease and new ways to find it

Zoë Armstrong, a 31-year-old woman, was diagnosed with endometriosis after years of suffering and seeking help from doctors. She initially got an ultrasound report showing signs of the condition, which prompted her to call her mom and cry. After extensive suffering and seeking help from doctors, she finally had a diagnosis. Endometriosis is a painful condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows on other parts of the body.

It affects 1 in 10 women worldwide. It can cause symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, infertility, and severe pain during menstruation, intercourse, and bowel movements. New diagnostic tests are being used in other countries to help address the issue, but they are not yet available in the U.S. One such test, EndoSure, measures electrical signals in the gut using sensor pads on the abdomen, while another test, Endotest, analyzes a saliva sample for microRNAs that indicate the presence of endometriosis. These new tests are being developed to help speed up the diagnosis process in primary care.