Whereas endometriosis is a disease in which the type of tissue that normally grows in the uterus (the endometrium) also grows outside of the uterus; Whereas endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases in women, and occurs in 1 in 10 women of reproductive age; Whereas the cause of endometriosis is not known, but risk factors include— (1) having a mother, sister, or daughter with endometriosis; (2) menstrual cycles that started at an early age; (3) menstrual cycles that are short; and (4) periods that are heavy and last more than 7 days; Whereas, for many women, the only way currently available to be certain of an endometriosis diagnosis is to have a surgical procedure known as a laparoscopy; Whereas endometriosis primarily affects women in their 30s and 40s, but can affect any woman who menstruates; Whereas women experience a delay from three to eleven years between the first symptoms of pain and the final endometriosis diagnosis, which can lead to lower quality of life and high medical costs; Whereas for many girls and women, endometriosis is a lifelong chronic disease that can affect relationships, school, work, fertility, and daily life; Whereas the primary symptoms of endometriosis include pain and infertility, and many with endometriosis live with debilitating, chronic pain; Whereas approximately 75 percent of women with endometriosis experience a misdiagnosis; Whereas the management of symptoms of endometriosis may include low-dose oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices (IUDs), painkillers, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist therapy; Whereas endometriosis is associated with increased health care costs and poses a substantial burden to patients in the health care system; Whereas, in the United States, the estimated average direct health care cost associated with endometriosis per patient is more than $13,000 per year