Archive · 4 Oct 2026
Endometriosis harms women's careers, but specialist care can help
Endometriosis happens when tissue like the lining of the uterus grows in other places in the body.
It can cause pain and sometimes affect organs such as the bowel or bladder.
The condition affects many women around the world, including millions in India.
Pain and treatment can make it hard for some women to keep up with work.
Dr Abhishek Mangeshikar says difficult cases should be treated by specialists.
He said specialist treatment can lower the chance that the disease comes back.
Endometriosis can also make it harder to have a baby, especially when it has lasted a long time.
He said it is not caused by an unhealthy diet.
Endometriosis affects an estimated one in seven women worldwide and nearly 2.7 crore women in India, according to figures cited by Dr Abhishek Mangeshikar.
The condition can affect organs beyond the reproductive system, including the bowel, bladder, ureters, chest, diaphragm and nerves.
Dr Mangeshikar said chronic pain, repeated incomplete surgeries and missed work can disrupt women’s careers.
He called for advanced cases to be referred to specialist centres and said recurrence after specialist treatment can fall to about 2–4 per cent.
Long-standing endometriosis can damage reproductive organs and affect fertility; the expert said the disease is not caused by an unhealthy diet.
- Who
- Women with endometriosis; the comments were made by endometriosis surgeon Dr Abhishek Mangeshikar.
- What
- The expert said endometriosis can harm women’s health and working lives, and that much of the damage may be avoidable with specialist care.
- When
- October 4; the article does not specify a year.
- Where
- Mumbai, India.
- Why
- The disease can cause chronic pain, affect multiple organs and lead to repeated or incomplete treatment, disrupting work and potentially affecting fertility.
- Global prevalence cited
- About one in seven women
- India estimate cited
- Nearly 2.7 crore women, according to data from the Endometriosis Society in India
- Specialist-treatment recurrence
- Dr Mangeshikar said recurrence rates can fall to about 2–4 per cent
- Possible affected areas
- Intestines, ureters, bladder, chest, diaphragm, nerves and abdominal wall, among others
- Potential long-term effect
- Prolonged disease can damage the ovaries and fallopian tubes and affect fertility
- Diet and cause
- The expert said endometriosis is not a lifestyle disease caused by an unhealthy diet