Endometriosis in 2026: New Diagnosis Tools, Research and Treatment Hope
March was Endometriosis Awareness Month, with the theme “Endometriosis doesn’t wait”. At Lena, we believe there is nothing more valuable than improving women's health education and awareness, so we want to platform the researchers and technologies which are working tirelessly to find a cure. In this article you'll find an explanation of endometriosis, new technologies and what the latest research is reporting.
Endometriosis was formally identified in 1927, but despite more than a century in the medical world, we remain relatively in the dark about the true nature of the condition and how best to manage it. In this article, we discuss the challenges of treatment and the pioneers who are battling to overcome them.
What Is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to that of the womb lining (the endometrium) is found elsewhere in the body; it is commonly found in the uterus or on the ovaries. It has been discovered in the gut, the lungs, the wrist, the legs and even the brain (though this is rare). In extreme cases, adhesions (scar tissue which forms between two structures in the body) can grow deep and even bind organs together.
The scientific community has not presently agreed on one theory of why endometriosis happens, which makes finding treatment options challenging. However, it is clear that the biggest cause of delayed diagnosis and our lack of understanding is the systemic dismissal of women’s pain, and chronic underfunding and underresearching of women’s health conditions throughout history.
Our unique biology is a challenge, yes, but it should not be used as an excuse for the lack of research or the fact we are “30-40 years behind”, as described by Andrew Horne, president-elect of the World Endometriosis Society.
What Are The Symptoms Of Endometriosis?
Symptoms can vary between individuals, and the severity of these symptoms can change depending on the type of endometriosis they have, as well as their lifestyle, diet, exercise and stress. Symptoms include any of the following;
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Pelvic pain, during your period or throughout the month
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Painful periods that disrupt daily life
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Heavy periods* (see below)
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Pain during or after sex
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Pain when going to the toilet (urinating and passing stool)
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Fertility problems (difficulty getting or staying pregnant)
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Fatigue, usually alongside the above symptoms
Many women experience pain, though it is important to state that some women do not have any symptoms at all, and the discovery of their endometriosis may be later in life, when trying to conceive.
What Qualifies As A Heavy Period?
If I said that 30-50mls is the normal blood loss within one period, would you know what that meant in terms of number of pads, tampons, menstrual cups or period pants? In real terms, this may look like:
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More than 16 tampons or pads throughout the cycle
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Soaked period pants >4 times x day
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Changing a half full menstrual cup more than 6 times in a cycle
If you are exceeding these amounts during your period, it is likely you are losing more than 80mls of blood, and this would be classed as a heavy period.
Who does it affect?
The condition affects 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth, roughly 190 million across the world; and it takes an average of 9 years and 4 months to diagnose.
It can affect women from the start of their periods (menarche) through to menopause, with 2-5% of women experiencing symptoms even after they have reached menopause.
Endometriosis does not discriminate, though studies have found that Asian women are >50% more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than the next most prevalent ethnic group (white women).
Cold Water Therapy
Cold water immersion therapy is the process of plunging into water that’s typically 50°F-59°F, with research showing it can support endometriosis in different ways. First, the cold temporarily dulls the sharp, shooting pain of endometriosis. Secondly, the immersion causes a large release of dopamine, which can boost mood and energy, particularly helpful for women suffering from “endo fatigue”.
Interestingly, new research is also emerging about how our menstrual cycle stage affects our motivation and reaction to cold water therapy. If you are considering using cold water therapy, check in with your doctor about adapting sessions to your cycle.
The Gut Health Revolution
The association between gut health and both physical and mental health has been explored in depth now for many years, with researchers now exploring a link to endometriosis.
Leaky gut is a condition in which the lining of your gut has more holes in it, often due to poor nutrition, chronic stress, certain medications or infections. This allows toxins to enter your bloodstream, triggering your immune system to launch a response, which can lead to chronic inflammation that exacerbates endometriosis growth and pain. Healing the gut, through diet and lifestyle changes, can help to repair the leaky gut and reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Oestrogen is broken down first by the liver, and then in the gut via the estrobolome, which is the collection of gut bacteria that regulate and break down oestrogen. Researchers have found that poor gut health can lead to raised levels of oestrogen, and this can worsen endometriosis.
Research is currently exploring the difference in gut microbes in women with endometriosis, in the hope this will provide a therapy opportunity. If we can decipher which bacteria are too high/low or missing.
LifecodeGX: new insights into dietary triggers
LifecodeGX is a UK-based, female-founded company that offers specialised DNA tests, which “inform how nutrition and lifestyle factors impact our genetic potential” and therefore help users to adapt their diet and lifestyle to their personal data. The company provides a list of LifecodeGX practitioners that can help you understand your results and implement these changes.
Women’s health practitioners in the UK and US have begun to use the tool to help women with endometriosis understand their body’s way of processing food, hormones and toxins.
Endosure: a new 30-minute diagnostic tool
Currently, the gold-standard for diagnosis is by a laparoscopy, a surgery in which a camera goes into the abdomen to look for endometriosis tissue. However, this surgery is invasive, costly and waiting lists are exceptionally long.
Endosure is the new technology capable of diagnosing endometriosis in 30 minutes, pain-free. Endosure is a device that records electrical impulses across your abdomen using ‘dry electrodes’ (pads that are stuck to your skin which can detect a signal). The pattern produced is recorded, and then analysed by a professional, who can determine if this pattern matches that of endometriosis.
Endosure is currently under review in the US and UK, with some clinics offering it privately, both countries hope Endosure will be widely available by 2027. In Canada, select clinics are already offering Endosure to patients in Alberta and Ontario.
A Message Of Hope
If you have just received a diagnosis, or suspect you have endometriosis, it may feel like an insurmountable challenge ahead of you, and those feelings are valid.
There has never been more funding, research, awareness and scientific endeavour working towards treatments and a cure. As of April 2025, there were 744 clinical trials working on pharmaceutical interventions for endometriosis. That is 744 opportunities for new medications to reduce pain, side-effects and improve quality of life. That is 744 reasons to have hope.
In spite of the many unknowns, the global movement towards awareness, research and advocacy is bringing new opportunities and therapies faster than ever before.
Written and edited by Dr Rachel Denham, MBChB.
Sources:
https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-action-month-2026
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis
https://www.endonews.com/thirty-years-of-endometriosis-burden-across-204-countries
https://nezhat.org/endometriosis-treatment/why-is-it-often-so-painful/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10001466/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7215544/
https://academic.oup.com/biolreprod/article/113/5/1029/8211700?login=false
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12527674/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11595046/
https://internationalendo.com/cold-plunge-sauna-endometriosis-pain-relief-benefits/
