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A cross-sectional qualitative review published in BMC Women’s Health highlights the need for culturally responsive, patient-centered care in Black women with endometriosis.¹

Despite significantly impacting emotional well-being, endometriosis is often underdiagnosed, underreported, and under-researched in Black women. This has been indicated by a national sample of US women with endometriosis, being 71.81% comprised of White women and 8.56% of Black women.²

“A comprehensive exploration of Black women’s experiences with endometriosis and its impacts on their quality of life could contribute much-needed knowledge and perspectives, and help elucidate future research and clinical implications to address Black women’s needs,” wrote investigators.¹

Data collection and coding

The cross-sectional analysis was conducted to evaluate quality of life perspectives among Black women with endometriosis. Participants were recruited through Facebook advertisements and the Research Match recruitment website, with eligible patients being Black, aged 18 to 45 years, living in the United States, and diagnosed with endometriosis.

Patients attended interviews guided by an in-depth interview guide over Zoom between September and October 2021. Subjects of conversation included endometriosis experiences and knowledge, quality of life impacts, health care system navigation, patient-provider interactions, and self-advocacy and resilience perceptions.

A study author performed the initial transcription review, with themes developed from 16 interviews. This was followed by the development of a preliminary codebook, with deductive codes developed from the interview guides and inductive codes through transcript assessments.

Physical symptoms and psychosocial impact

Eight of the 16 participants were aged 36 to 45 years. Residing in the US Northeast, West, and Midwest was reported by 3 participants each, while 7 resided in the South. Eleven patients identified clinical diagnosis as a form of endometriosis diagnosis, 6 laparoscopy, 4 ultrasound, 2 MRI, and 2 other.

The first theme identified was physical symptoms, which included vomiting, pelvic pain, headaches, pain during sex, heavy bleeding, rectal pain, constipation, and blood clots. Many patients experienced these symptoms as teenagers and later linked them to endometriosis. Additionally, symptoms were often intense and radiated to areas of the body beyond the uterus.

Psychosocial impacts were discussed as a second theme. Following a diagnosis, many patients were frustrated about the duration between symptom onset and diagnosis, alongside the severe health concerns that may have been prevented with earlier diagnosis.

However, many patients were also relieved and validated to be diagnosed. This often led to a change where long and confusing processes for diagnosis became peace of mind related to their symptoms.

Social life and negative health interactions

Social life and intimate relationships were often impeded because of patients having to cancel plans and interrupt important events following endometriosis symptoms. Mental and physical preparation were often needed to socially interact despite these hurdles. Pain sex also led women to lose a degree of intimacy in their relationships.

Emotional and mental well-being were also highlighted. Participants with endometriosis reported feeling fear, depression, and hopelessness because of the condition. Having to plan life around upcoming periods led to frustration, depression, and feeling left out. Feelings of loneliness were also highlighted by patients who had to manage symptoms alone.

These issues were exacerbated by negative health care experiences. Participants reported having their symptoms minimized by health care providers, presenting for care multiple times with no resolution, and being told their needs did not rise to a level of concern for action. This led to feelings of disappointment, even after diagnosis.

Implications

This data provides additional insight into Black women’s experience with endometriosis in the United States. Investigators recommended additional research to inform future clinical practice.

“Notably, this study’s findings echo Black women’s experiences across reproductive health care contexts… thus underscoring the urgency of addressing the multilevel manifestations of structures of racism and oppression on Black women’s sexual and reproductive health,” wrote investigators.

References

1. Rice WS, Dakwa M, Filippa S, Parikh A. Narasimhan S. “It’s like your body is fighting against you”: a cross-sectional qualitative interview study of quality of life in U.S. Black women diagnosed with endometriosis. BMC Women’s Health. 2025;25:401. doi:10.1186/s12905-025-03942-6
2. Al-Lami RA, Taha SA, Jalloul RJ, Taylor HS. Women with endometriosis in the United States: National survey of family growth, 2011–2019. J Endometr Uterine Disorders. 2024;8:100081.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Lee Ho Seong) has developed a diagnostic platform that amplifies the unique optical signals of molecules by more than a hundred million times, enabling the precise detection and quantification of trace amounts of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in body fluids. With a simple body fluid test, the platform can quantify multiple biomarkers with ultrasensitivity and high reliability, complementing conventional imaging-based diagnostics and enabling early diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression.

Alzheimer’s disease is a leading degenerative brain disorder in which neurons in the brain gradually deteriorate, causing progressive decline in cognitive functions such as memory and reasoning. It accounts for roughly 60–70% of dementia cases worldwide, and with no fundamental cure currently available, early diagnosis and continuous management are essential.

At present, Alzheimer’s disease is primarily diagnosed using imaging modalities such as PET and MRI. However, each examination can cost over 1 million KRW (approximately USD 750) and requires specialized facilities. Moreover, these imaging techniques can only detect the disease once it has progressed beyond a certain stage, making early detection difficult.

Simpler body fluid tests have so far lacked sufficient accuracy, preventing them from being used as reliable diagnostic tools.

Two peptides found in the brain-amyloid beta (Aβ) 42 and Aβ 40-are closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Measuring their concentrations in body fluids and calculating the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio enables early assessment of disease progression.

However, with the detection performance of conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods, it has been difficult to simultaneously and accurately detect these two peptides in ultra-low concentrations present in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and other body fluids.

The Medical Metrology Group at KRISS has developed an ultrasensitive multiplexed quantitative sensing platform based on Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), which is over 100,000 times more sensitive than conventional ELISA methods and capable of accurately distinguishing and quantifying multiple biomarkers.

SERS is an analytical technique that greatly amplifies the unique optical signals generated when light interacts with molecules by using metallic nanostructures, enabling the precise detection of even trace amounts of molecules.

The research team developed distinct, multi-type gold nanoparticles with a sunflower-shaped cross-section, capable of producing strong and uniform SERS signals from individual particles. This design overcomes the issue of signal non-uniformity caused by variations in interparticle spacing in conventional spherical gold nanoparticles.

By creating a high-density, uniform distribution of signal enhancement sites both inside and on the surface of each particle, the nanoparticles generate strong and highly reproducible signals even at the single-particle level. As a result, the platform achieves excellent quantitative performance proportional to the concentration of target molecules, while enabling the simultaneous detection of multiple distinct targets.

Using the multiplex SERS nanoparticles, each assigned a unique optical ID, the researchers successfully quantified ultra-trace levels of Aβ42 and Aβ40 at concentrations as low as 8.7 × 10⁻17 g/mL and 1.0 × 10⁻15 g/mL, respectively. This represents world-leading performance in terms of both sensitivity and dynamic detection range for multiplex quantitative analysis.

The sensing platform we have developed can be mass-produced at low cost and flexibly adapted to a wide range of biomarkers.

Beyond Alzheimer’s disease, it holds high versatility and strong commercialization potential for the early and rapid in vitro diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases, including cancers, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases.”

Dr. You Eun-Ah, Principal Research Scientist, KRISS Medical Metrology Group

This research was supported by the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) Research Initiative Program and the Basic Research Program of KRISS. The results were published in April in Biosensors & Bioelectronics (Impact Factor: 10.5), a leading international journal in the field of analytical chemistry.