A resolution recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March 2019 as "Endometriosis Awareness Month".

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 130 Recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March 2019 as ‘‘Endometriosis Awareness Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 28, 2019 Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mrs. CAPITO, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. WARREN, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March 2019 as ‘‘Endometriosis Awareness Month’’. Whereas 6,500,000 women in the United States are living with endometriosis; Whereas endometriosis is a chronic disease affecting— (1) 176,000,000 women throughout the world; and (2) an estimated 1 in 10 women in the United States between the ages of 18 and 49; Whereas medical societies and patient groups have expressed the need for greater public attention and updated re- sources targeted to public education about this unmet health need for women; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:46 Mar 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR130.IS SR130 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 130 IS Whereas endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to that normally found in the uterus begins to grow outside the uterus; Whereas, although endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological disorders in the United States, there is a lack of awareness and prioritization of endometriosis as an important health issue for women; Whereas women can suffer for up to 10 years before being properly diagnosed; Whereas approximately 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 of all women with endo- metriosis will have difficulty getting pregnant; Whereas endometriosis is a painful and debilitating disorder; Whereas endometriosis is associated with increased health care costs and poses a substantial burden to patients in the health care system; Whereas the total annual direct health care cost of symptoms associated with endometriosis is $56,000,000,000, or nearly $11,000 per patient; Whereas 51 percent of endometriosis patients report that the disease detrimentally affects their performance of their job; Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the average number of ‘‘bed days’’ for pa- tients with endometriosis was 18 days per year; Whereas women with endometriosis can lose 11 hours per work week through lost productivity; Whereas, in 2010, endometriosis patients were hospitalized over 100,000 days because of the disease; Whereas there is a need for more research and updated guidelines to treat endometriosis; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:46 Mar 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR130.IS SR130 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 130 IS Whereas the research dollars from the National Institutes of Health dedicated to endometriosis has dropped from $16,000,000 in 2010 to $6,000,000 in 2019; Whereas there is an ongoing need for additional clinical re- search and treatment options to manage this debilitating disease; and Whereas there is no known cure for endometriosis: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates March 2019 as ‘‘Endometriosis 2 Awareness Month’’; 3 (2) recognizes the importance of endometriosis 4 as a health issue for women that requires far greater 5 attention, public awareness, and education about the 6 disease; 7 (3) encourages the Secretary of Health and 8 Human Services— 9 (A) to provide information to women, pa- 10 tients, and health care providers with respect to 11 endometriosis, including available screening 12 tools and treatment options, with a goal of im- 13 proving the quality of life and health outcomes 14 of women affected by endometriosis; 15 (B) to conduct additional research on 16 endometriosis and possible clinical options; and 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:46 Mar 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR130.IS SR130 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •SRES 130 IS (C) to update information, tools, and stud- 1 ies currently available with respect to helping 2 women live with endometriosis; and 3 (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 4 the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolu- 5 tion to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:46 Mar 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR130.IS SR130 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS