Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating disease affecting more than 200 million worldwide. It is a whole-body, inflammatory disease impacting multiple systems including the urinary system. As part of the first ever Patient Perspectives panel at AUA2022, I, as a pelvic physical therapist and person with endometriosis, presented regarding the need for urologists to recognize and understand the intricacies of endometriosis.

The Patient Perspectives panel was a unique experience to talk directly to those in the urological field about what it feels like to have endometriosis and to connect with urologists as a patient with bladder endometriosis to discuss exactly why urologists are so important to endometriosis care. Many don’t understand that endometriosis isn’t just a gynecological disorder. Up to 80% of people with endometriosis have disease around the ureters. This creates symptoms like urgency, frequency, and painful bladders. When the symptoms lead people to urologists, urologists need to know endometriosis is on the differential and how to treat them.

Because it affects so many systems, endometriosis is a difficult disease to diagnose and to treat. On average, it takes 8-10 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis. Patients typically see between 11 and 14 specialists prior to diagnosis. In response to the discussion at AUA in New Orleans, The Endometriosis Summit, a medical conference I created, has teamed up with New York based urologist Dr Yaniv Larish to present “The Ins and Outs of Bladder Endometriosis: A Starter’s Guide to Treating Urological Endometriosis” as a course at its annual conference, March 24-26, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.

Dr Larish explains, “Awareness of endometriosis within the urology community can greatly improve patient care within the context of a multidisciplinary team of specialists. The prevalence of comorbid bladder conditions in patients suffering from endometriosis represents an untapped and necessary opportunity for urologists interested in minimally invasive surgery, voiding dysfunction, and pelvic pain.”

The course will be taught by Dr Larish and will also include a lecture on pelvic physical therapy to the anterior bladder by Dr Tracy Sher, a physical therapist from Florida, and a discussion on microbials and the bladder by Texas physician Dr Michael G. Waters. Dr Maurice Chung will round out the didactics with a discussion about how the bladder upregulates the genitourinary system as a whole. A lab will then be offered on novel measures to treat endometriosis by urologist Dr Larish.

Endometriosis patients are often marginalized by sectionalized care. Endometriosis patients are challenging even for experienced practitioners. The depth of their disease and symptoms can be difficult to treat. Expanding education to specialties beyond gynecology will open doors for both the urologist and the patient.

The course was created after my experiences during the AUA Patient Perspectives Panel. Seeing first hand how connected to the patient and how eager to learn many urologists are, I wanted to expand endometriosis education to the field. Patients seek help for their bladder symptoms for years before receiving proper care for their bladder and ureter endometriosis. Precise surgeons who know how to operate on a ureter can change the life of someone with genitourinary endometriosis. Educating every single specialty part of the treatment team is a crucial step to creating lasting change for all with endometriosis.

Dr Larish partnered for the course. “The Endometriosis Summit is an incredible place to meet the many people (patients, partners, family members) that are affected by this disease,” states Dr Larish. “It puts into focus the disease state from a patient perspective and lets the medical team truly listen to the patient experience. The endometriosis-specific education for minimally invasive surgeons across multiple specialties at the Endo Summit is unmatched. Additionally, with the opportunity to listen, we, as urologists, gain insight into the disease and become more adept at helping the endometriosis community.”

“The Endometriosis Summit: Driving Endometriosis Forward” will be held at The Nicholson Center in Celebration, Florida, March 24-26, 2023. Didactics for the course will be available virtually as well. The lab will not be available virtually. For more details and to register, please visit https://theendometriosissummit.com/conference/.