March 28, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 54 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S2093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 130--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ENDOMETRIOSIS AS 
   AN UNMET CHRONIC DISEASE FOR WOMEN AND DESIGNATING MARCH 2019 AS 
                   ``ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH''

  Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Ms. Warren, Ms. Cantwell, and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 130

       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 resources 
     targeted to public education about this unmet health need for 
     women;
       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 
     endometriosis 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 patients 
     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;
       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 
     research 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) designates March 2019 as ``Endometriosis Awareness 
     Month'';
       (2) recognizes the importance of endometriosis as a health 
     issue for women that requires far greater attention, public 
     awareness, and education about the disease;
       (3) encourages the Secretary of Health and Human Services--
       (A) to provide information to women, patients, and health 
     care providers with respect to endometriosis, including 
     available screening tools and treatment options, with a goal 
     of improving the quality of life and health outcomes of women 
     affected by endometriosis;
       (B) to conduct additional research on endometriosis and 
     possible clinical options; and
       (C) to update information, tools, and studies currently 
     available with respect to helping women live with 
     endometriosis; and
       (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the Secretary 
     of Health and Human Services.

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