Published by Brittany Koepp on March 1st, 2025

Why Endometriosis Awareness Matters for Employee Benefits

Imagine having a chronic condition that affects your daily life—causing debilitating pain, fatigue, and even infertility—yet struggling for years to get a diagnosis. Now imagine that condition affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age and remains widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed by healthcare providers.

This is the reality of endometriosis, a condition that impacts millions of individuals in the workforce. Yet, most employer-sponsored health plans fail to provide adequate support, leaving employees to navigate a confusing and costly healthcare system on their own.

As a benefits broker, you have the power to help change this narrative. By guiding employers toward comprehensive benefits solutions that prioritize chronic condition management, proactive screenings, and provider education, you can improve outcomes, reduce absenteeism, and drive down long-term healthcare costs.

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This March, in honor of National Endometriosis Awareness Month, let’s talk about why endometriosis needs to be on your radar—and how you can help clients build better benefits plans that support affected employees.

My Journey

Three years ago, a routine CT scan for an unrelated health concern revealed a small nodule on my left ovary. That single, unexpected finding set off a chain of tests, doctor visits, and anxious questions. With a family history of reproductive cancers, I immediately feared the worst. Was it really just a cyst? Should I be worried? No one had answers—only more tests.

I was referred for ultrasound after ultrasound, each one suggesting the cyst was likely an endometrioma—a type of cyst associated with endometriosis. It was the first time I had ever heard the word.

I had spent years describing painful symptoms to my doctors, only to be dismissed. I was told it was normal. That I should take ibuprofen. That I just had a low pain tolerance. But the pain wasn’t normal. And it had a name.

All too often, when people who experience painful menstruation are brave enough to bring their concerns to a well-intentioned, yet uninformed provider, they are dismissed and left to question whether their real, lived experiences really are ‘that bad.’
 
Pain that causes you to miss birthdays, events, or work?
“Well, everyone gets cramps. You must have a low pain tolerance.”
 
Debilitating fatigue and brain fog?
“You just need to get more sleep.”
 
Nausea, inflammation, leg pain, back pain, headaches, depression, anxiety, painful and extreme bloating?
“That’s just PMS. Take an ibuprofen.”

In December 2022, after a decade of pain that really was, ‘that bad,’ and endless unanswered questions, I underwent laparoscopic surgery. My diagnosis was confirmed: endometriosis. I finally had proof that my pain wasn’t in my head, that I wasn’t weak or overreacting. It was real, and it had been real all along.

My story isn’t unique. It takes an average of four to eleven years to receive an endometriosis diagnosis, according to Yale Medicine. Many people, like me, see multiple doctors before someone finally listens. In the meantime, they live with chronic pain, fatigue, inflammation, nausea, and mental health struggles—all while trying to hold down jobs, care for families, and function in daily life.


Endometriosis is a Personal Health Issue and a Workforce Issue

Despite its prevalence and impact, many employer-sponsored health plans fail to provide adequate support for endometriosis care, leaving employees to navigate a broken healthcare system on their own.

As a benefits broker, you have the power to change that. By helping employers design better benefits plans, you can help employees with chronic conditions like endometriosis get the care they need—reducing absenteeism, lowering healthcare costs, and improving overall workforce well-being.
Employees with undiagnosed or untreated endometriosis face serious challenges that impact their work and well-being:
  • Increased absenteeism due to severe pain, fatigue, and medical appointments.
  • Reduced productivity from brain fog, nausea, and chronic discomfort.
  • Higher medical costs from repeated doctor visits, ineffective treatments, and delayed diagnosis.
  • Mental health struggles as they battle anxiety, depression, and frustration with their healthcare journey.

Despite affecting 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, according to the World Health Organization, endometriosis is often excluded from benefits conversations. Many health plans fail to cover the most effective treatments, limit access to specialists, or impose barriers to proper care.

Employers often don’t realize the true cost of failing to address chronic conditions like endometriosis in their benefits plans. That’s where brokers come in.


What Brokers Can Do to Improve Benefits for Endometriosis Patients

1. Advocate for Comprehensive Plan Design

Traditional health plans often overlook conditions like endometriosis, leaving employees with limited treatment options. Brokers can help employers implement:
  • Expanded access to pelvic pain specialists & OB/GYNs familiar with endometriosis.
  • Coverage for laparoscopic excision surgery, the gold standard for treatment.
  • Comprehensive prescription drug benefits that include hormonal therapy options.
  • Mental health support for co-occurring anxiety and depression.
 

2. Promote Chronic Condition Management & Navigation Support

Navigating the healthcare system is already difficult—for employees with endometriosis, it can feel impossible. Employers should offer:
  • Personalized case management to help employees coordinate care and treatment.
  • Access to digital health tracking tools like the Ovia® app to monitor symptoms.
  • Education programs to help employees identify symptoms early and seek care.
 

3. Address the Gender Gap in Healthcare Benefits

Many employer health plans underestimate the importance of reproductive health services. Brokers can drive meaningful change by:
  • Encouraging employers to recognize endometriosis as a serious condition that requires specific benefits solutions.
  • Helping clients evaluate and improve their maternity, fertility, and reproductive health benefits.
  • Educating HR teams on how to create a more supportive workplace for employees with chronic conditions.
 

Better Benefits, Healthier Employees, Stronger Business Outcomes

For too long, people with endometriosis have been told that their pain is normal. That they should just push through it. That they should take some ibuprofen and go back to work.

But it’s not normal. It’s a serious, chronic disease that affects millions—and employers can do better.
As a benefits broker, you have the opportunity to help businesses rethink how they support employees with chronic conditions. By advocating for benefits solutions that include comprehensive coverage, proactive condition management, and real healthcare support, you can:
  • Improve health outcomes by enabling earlier diagnosis and proper treatment.
  • Reduce long-term healthcare costs by minimizing unnecessary procedures and hospitalizations.
  • Enhance employee retention and productivity by addressing a major driver of absenteeism.

Let’s have the conversation. Help your clients build benefits plans that meet the needs of their workforce—and end the cycle of delayed diagnosis and inadequate care for endometriosis.
Want to learn more about chronic condition management solutions and how we can support your clients? Fill out the contact form below and with a Luminare Health sales executive for more information.