WhelWomen's Health Evidence Lab
Home/Conditions/Endometriosis
CONDITION · C-02

Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, on the ovaries, bowel, bladder, and peritoneum. These lesions bleed with every menstrual cycle, causing progressive scarring, adhesions, and infertility.

PREVALENCE

10 to 15% of reproductive-age women

DIAGNOSTIC DELAY

7 to 10 years on average

APPROVED THERAPY

No cure; hormonal suppression only

At a glance
Total signals indexed18
Strong-tier1
Moderate-tier1
Emerging-tier11
Exploratory-tier5
Signal breakdown

FIGURE A · TIER DISTRIBUTION

Signals per confidence tier

Strong
1
Moderate
1
Emerging
11
Exploratory
5

The largest single group is the Emerging tier (11); 1 of the 18 indexed signals reach Strong, the tier reserved for the most robust, replicated evidence.

FIGURE B · ARM COMPOSITION

Where each signal originates

3
14
2
Direct · 3Pathway · 14Community · 2

Pathway contributes the most signals (14); Community the fewest (2). Each evidence arm applies its own inclusion threshold.

BIOLOGY

Biological context

Estrogen-dependent and progesterone-resistant. Lesions produce their own estrogen locally and evade immune clearance. They recruit new nerve fibers and blood vessels, explaining the neuropathic pain. Epigenetic changes drive the progesterone resistance.

RESEARCH & FUNDING

Research landscape

Dismissed as normal period pain for decades. Average time to diagnosis is 7 to 10 years. NIH funding per patient is a fraction of comparably prevalent conditions. Surgical laparoscopy remains the only confirmed diagnostic method.

REPURPOSING SIGNALS

18 signals indexed.

The breakdown above shows how those 18 signals grade out by confidence tier and where each one originates. The candidates themselves, the specific approved drugs with their verbatim-verified evidence across the direct, pathway, and community arms for endometriosis, sit behind access while Whel is in research preview.

The candidates

Explore the candidates.

Each candidate carries its full evidence trail: scored across five dimensions, graded from strong to exploratory, with every source and date attached so it can be checked. Every candidate is open to read in full.

ALSO TRACKED

Tracked, but not graded as single-agent candidates.

These are recorded for endometriosis but kept out of the graded repurposing index: multi-agent combination regimens (legitimate clinical regimens, not single-agent repurposing candidates) and supplements or herbals (reported as complementary context). Neither is scored on the five-dimension rubric.

Combination therapies · 6
aromatase inhibitors combined with gonadotropin releasing hormone analoguecombined oral contraceptiveletrozole combined with norethisterone acetatecombined oral contraceptivesletrozole + norethisterone acetaterelugolix combination therapy
Supplements & herbals (adjunct) · 4
curcuminresveratrolquercetinVITAMIN E