Prevalence of Endometriosis: A Review of Literature Data

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic and often debilitating condition affecting a significant proportion of women worldwide. Despite its impact on quality of life and healthcare systems, the prevalence of endometriosis varies widely across different studies and populations. This variability may be influenced by differences in study design, diagnostic criteria, and population characteristics.

Methodology: This narrative review aims to evaluate and summarize existing literature to determine the prevalence of endometriosis and to identify variability in prevalence rates across different study designs and populations. A comprehensive review of studies was conducted from April 2016 to April 2023 using MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, and PubMed, with a focus on MeSH terms such as ‘endometriosis,’ ‘prevalence,’ ‘incidence,’ and ‘epidemiology.’ The search strategy involved eliminating duplicates and applying strict inclusion criteria, resulting in the analysis of 19 selected articles.

Results: The review encompassed studies based on health insurance data, clinical trials, and surveys. Health insurance data revealed an overall prevalence of endometriosis of 0.76% (95% CI 0.17%–1.35%). Clinical trials demonstrated a wide range of prevalence rates from 0.05% to 37.1%, with a pooled prevalence of 6.82% (95% CI 4.41%–9.24%). Surveys showed varied results, with endometriosis being reported as a cause of infertility in 0.76% of respondents in Scotland and 18.3% in Turkey. Additionally, women with endometriosis reported higher rates of gastrointestinal, neurological, and urinary disorders, as well as significant impacts on their social and financial well-being.

Conclusion: This review highlights substantial variability in the reported prevalence of endometriosis and underscores the need for standardized diagnostic and reporting practices to better understand and address this condition.