More than 1 in 3 individuals with endometriosis and almost 1 in 5 individuals with uterine fibroids have considered quitting work or school due to symptoms
Results from a self-selected survey and permissioned wearable data collected on Evidation’s health platform from over 1,700 individuals with endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids showed negative impacts on work and school experiences
SAN MATEO, California and BASEL, Switzerland – May 17, 2023 – Today, as part of National Women’s Health Week, Evidation and Myovant Sciences Ltd. (“Myovant”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd. (“Sumitovant”) announced results from a survey exploring the lived experiences of individuals with endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids. The survey results highlight the negative impacts of these conditions on employee and student experiences and quality-of-life, underscoring the need for conversations and accommodations that advance equity for these populations.
“At Myovant, we know that stigma can often keep people quiet about periods, leading to delayed care and increased discomfort. It also contributes to the lack of awareness about how conditions such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids can increase absenteeism and impact performance at work and school,” said Kalahn Taylor-Clark, vice president and head of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at Myovant Sciences. “As a company focused on women’s health conditions, we hope these survey results will encourage employers to recognize and better understand the issue and work to create an environment that improves workplace equity.”
It is estimated that 19 million people in the United States suffer from uterine fibroids1,2,3, and approximately 7.5 million premenopausal individuals suffer from endometriosis4,5,6. A survey conducted on the Evidation platform found negative impacts on individuals with these conditions, across multiple dimensions, including:
Participation and absenteeism at work or school
- 31% of individuals with endometriosis and 18% of individuals with uterine fibroids have considered quitting work or school because of menstrual symptoms, while 16% of individuals without a diagnosis have the same consideration7.
- 34% of individuals who are diagnosed with endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids missed work with at least every 3 menstrual cycles due to symptoms, while 21% of respondents without a diagnosis experienced the same7.
- Roughly 41% of respondents with endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids who have missed work or school due to menstrual symptoms report missing more than a full work day (9 or more hours); 31% of those who are not diagnosed report the same 7.
Activities of daily living
- 21% of respondents with endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids report being unable to complete daily tasks outside of work during every menstrual cycle, which can add up to approximately 3 months of the year; meanwhile, about 12% of respondents without a diagnosis say they are unable to complete such tasks during every menstrual cycle7.
Controlling for age and race, diagnosis of endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids was associated with taking fewer daily steps, of those who consented to sharing their wearables data and compared to those who did not have a diagnosis7. No statistical comparison was planned in the analysis of survey results or wearable data; statistics presented are descriptive.
“Millions suffer silently from endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Both diseases have excruciating impacts and insidious yet outsized effects in everyday life,” said Christine Lemke, Co-Founder and CEO at Evidation. “We are proud to partner with Myovant to ignite a conversation around how we can better understand and improve the daily health experiences of people with these conditions.”
These survey results mark the second joint research effort conducted by Myovant and Evidation following the “State of the Cycle” survey published in 2019. Building on the goal to expand women’s health education and awareness, the most recent cross-sectional survey was carried out on the Evidation platform with retrospective wearable data from a self-selected sample of roughly 9,900 individuals who identified as being female at birth, who were aged 18-50, and did not have a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, premature ovarian failure, ovarian cancer, or uterine cancer. The survey covered four areas, including demographics, menstrual history and health, experiences at work or school, and experiences with medical providers. Further results can be found at http://bit.ly/myovant.
In line with making workplaces better for people with endometriosis and/or uterine fibroids, Myovant is a sponsor of the Fibroid Foundation’s “Workplace Reset” program and the inaugural member of the Menstrual Equity Workplace Champion program launched in 2022 by PERIOD., a global menstrual equity non-profit organization.
“The Fibroid Foundation's Workplace Reset initiative promotes the creation of menstrual-friendly programs to create equity in the workplace. Agonizing menstrual pain and heavy bleeding are not normal, and suffering at work should not be the expectation,” said Sateria Venable, Founder and CEO, The Fibroid Foundation. “We encourage employers to look into what’s missing in the implementation of menstrual-friendly systems within the workplace, normalize the conversation around the conditions, and create policies to improve work-life balance for an easier management of menstrual health.”
Myovant and its partners also offer several resources for individuals including the 2023 Uterine Health Guide, an education and support platform designed to help people better understand their own menstrual health8.
About Evidation
Evidation creates new ways to measure and improve health in everyday life—making proactive, personalized, and truly human-centered healthcare possible. By connecting directly with millions of individuals, Evidation harnesses real-world data to deeply understand health experiences, rapidly and at scale. Evidation’s privacy-centric digital health measurement and engagement platform uses data science and machine learning to translate these everyday insights into high-impact health guidance, treatments, and tools. Founded in 2012, Evidation is headquartered in California with employees working around the globe.
About Myovant Sciences
Myovant Sciences aspires to redefine care for women and men through purpose-driven science, empowering medicines, and transformative advocacy worldwide. Since its formation in 2016, Myovant has secured five regulatory approvals in the United States and Europe for its products ORGOVYX® and MYFEMBREE® in advanced prostate cancer and/or hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, as well as women’s health, respectively. Myovant and its partners continue to file for additional indications of its products, as well as advance development of its pipeline. Myovant is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitovant Biopharma Ltd., as of March 10, 2023. For more information, please visit www.myovant.com.
Evidation Media Contact:
Amy Puliafito
(415) 868-5249
Myovant Media Contact:
Julie Ferguson
(312) 385-0098
1 Marsh EE, et al. J WomensHealth (Larchmt). 2018;27:1359-1367.
2 Age and Sex Composition: 2010. United States Census Bureau. May 2011.
3 Stewart EA, et al. BJOG. 2017;124:1501-1512.
4 US census 2019 (table 1; approx. 75 million women in the US ages 15-49). Available online at https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=United%20States&t=Age%20and%20Sex
5 Shafrir. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2018 Aug;51:1-15
6 Fuldeore Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2017;82:453-461
7 Evidation (2023) Myovant Sciences and Evidation Survey Explores Lived Experiences and Unseen Burdens of Women and Individuals with Endometriosis and Uterine Fibroids. https://evidation.com/resources/myovant-sciences-and-evidation-survey-explores-lived-experiences-and-unseen-burdens-of-women-and-individuals-with-endometriosis-and-uterine-fibroids
8 The 2023 Uterine Health Guide was developed by Myovant Sciences Ltd. and Pfizer Inc.