Endometriosis is a disease that impacts one in 10 people, and it can take seven to 10 years to diagnose. Some say the pain of endometriosis feels like their insides are in a blender.
That is why a group was back at the state legislature this week, pushing for new laws in Connecticut that would better help women deal with this painful condition.
Endometriosis is a topic that has been brought before the legislature by State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest ever since she started an endometriosis working group in 2021.
“Similar to other issues that impact women, it had been under researched,” Rep. Gilchrest (D-18th District of West Hartford) said. “Women were made to feel crazy for their experiences. I just got really passionate about bringing attention to the issue and trying to make change.”
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This session, advocates are pushing for two bills: HB5378 and HB 5240. Gilchrest said they have three legislative priorities. One is equitable fertility coverage.
“We want to ensure that if someone is experiencing endometriosis, they can get fertility coverage, regardless of their economic background,” Gilchrest said.
Another is an expansion of paid sick days for people dealing with endometriosis.
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The working group also wants the budget to allocate continued funding for the state’s new biorepository program.
“The first of its kind in the country that's going to help establish treatment and diagnosis for endometriosis,” Gilchrest said.
Connecticut doctors explain that endometriosis impacts a woman’s reproductive system, causing her to feel cramps and other hormonal symptoms to the maximum.
“There is a notion, right, that a lot of women have pain around the time of their period, they might have cramps. But you know, how much is tolerable?” Dr. Siobhan Dolan, Stamford Health Chair of OBGYN, said.
However, many suffer for up to a decade because often times, a surgery is needed to detect the endometrial tissue.
“So they'll be dismissed for several years. They become a bit disheartened,” Dr. Rachel LaMonica, a Trinity Health minimally invasive gynecologist at St. Francis Hospital Medical Center, said.
LaMonica said living with endometriosis can have many consequences.
“They may in fact be missing several days of the month from either school, as young women, or from work,” she said. “Threatening their job security, of course, and their quality of life.”
Endometriosis can even lead to infertility. Those are some of the reasons why leadership at Stamford Health supports the movement before the legislature.
“We're really delighted to see research into endometriosis. We want to be able to provide new insights and new therapeutic opportunities for women,” Dolan said.
Gilchrest said while their have been success, like the new biorepository program, the working group aims to keep endometriosis at the forefront.
“I think that this legislation lets women know that we are focusing on a disease that disproportionately impacts them,” she said. “There's so many systemic changes we need to make in order for folks to be able to get the coverage they need.”