‘Not Just Bad Periods’: Survey of Aotearoa New Zealand Endometriosis Patients on Their Perspectives on the Impact of Endometriosis Awareness

Endometriosis is a challenging condition to diagnose, frequently typified by long diagnostic delays. In an online survey study of 657 endometriosis patients from Aotearoa New Zealand, awareness of endometriosis at symptom onset was low, contributing a two-year increase to diagnostic delay. While respondents most frequently learnt of endometriosis from friends and family (33.8%), they predominantly accessed resources regarding endometriosis online (77.9%). Patients highlighted that resources explaining the full range of endometriosis symptoms were needed for the general public, students, and endometriosis patients to improve surveillance for the condition and allow earlier recognition and diagnosis.