Endometriosis affects about 10% of women of reproductive age, causing tissue similar to the uterine lining to grow outside the uterus. It often takes years to diagnose. Current treatment includes hormonal suppression, pain management, and surgery to remove visible lesions, but symptoms frequently return.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that target specific hormone pathways without shutting down all estrogen, new approaches to pelvic pain that don't rely on hormones, and ways to diagnose endometriosis without surgery. Researchers are also studying the immune system's role and why inflammation persists even after lesions are removed.
Non-hormonal treatments
Several trials are testing drugs that block pain signals or reduce inflammation without affecting hormones. This could help people who can't tolerate hormonal therapy or want to preserve fertility.
GnRH receptor antagonists
Elagolix and relugolix are oral pills that lower estrogen more precisely than older GnRH drugs. FDA approved them with hormone add-back to manage symptoms while reducing bone loss and hot flashes.
Non-surgical diagnosis
Studies are testing blood tests and imaging techniques to identify endometriosis without laparoscopic surgery. Finding the disease earlier could prevent years of pain before diagnosis.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on symptom severity, prior treatments tried, whether you're planning pregnancy, and sometimes surgical confirmation of endometriosis diagnosis.
What types of trials are currently open
- Pain treatment trials — Testing medications or procedures to reduce pelvic pain, painful periods, or pain during sex. Some focus on alternatives to hormonal therapy.
- Hormonal therapy trials — Testing new hormone-based drugs or combinations that suppress endometriosis growth while minimizing side effects like bone loss.
- Surgical technique trials — Comparing different surgical approaches for removing endometriosis lesions or studying whether surgery combined with medication works better than either alone.
- Fertility trials — Testing treatments to improve pregnancy rates in women with endometriosis, or studying how treatments affect egg quality and IVF outcomes.
- Diagnostic trials — Testing blood biomarkers, imaging methods, or other non-surgical ways to detect endometriosis and monitor disease activity.
Recently added Endometriosis trials
Try pelvic floor physical therapy combined with exercise
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition that can cause persistent pelvic pain, painful menstruation, painful sexual intercourse, and reduced quality of life. This study will evaluate whether specialized pelvic floor physical therapy combined with a structured physical exercise program is more effective than a placebo intervention combined with the same exercise program in reducing chronic pelvic pain in women with endometriosis. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups and followed for 12 weeks.
Share your experiences accessing pelvic health care for endometriosis
This is a mixed-methods study aimed to generate new evidence to help optimize access to pelvic health physiotherapy (PHPT) for women living with endometriosis in the province of Quebec (Canada). Specifically, the objectives are to: Obj. 1: Understand the patient journey of women living with endometriosis, including their experiences accessing PHPT. Obj. 2: Describe current PHPT clinical practices and service delivery for women living with endometriosis in Quebec. Obj. 3: Identify barriers, facilitators and potential strategies to improve access to PHPT services and optimize the patient journey of women living with endometriosis in Quebec. Findings will inform clinical, organizational and policy recommendations to strengthen the integration of PHPT within multidisciplinary endometriosis care. The project is divided into three sequential parts: Part 1: Semi-structured individual interviews (open-ended questions) will be conducted with women living with endometriosis to explore their journey to obtain endometriosis care, experiences accessing PHPT and perceived barriers and facilitators. Approximately 15-20 participants will be recruited until data saturation is reached. Part 2: An online cross-sectional survey will be conducted among pelvic health physiotherapists practicing in the province of Quebec, Canada to describe current clinical practices, service delivery and challenges related to the management of women living with endometriosis. The minimum expected sample size is 225 physiotherapists . Part 3: Semi-structured focus groups (open-ended questions) will be conducted with women living with endometriosis, pelvic health physiotherapists, physicians and healthcare managers to identify and prioritize strategies to improve access to PHPT services. Approximately 24-32 participants will be recruited across four focus groups. Across all three parts, recruitment strategies will aim to ensure diversity in participant characteristics, including geographic region, sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare experiences, to capture a broad range of perspectives.
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