Harvard Catalyst Profiles

This retrospective study is attempting to characterize the emergency department utilization for abdominopelvic pain or bleeding of young people who were previously diagnosed with endometriosis or who received an endometriosis diagnosis at their emergency department visit. The goal is to identify relevant characteristics and potential risk factors among these patients and the treatment they received at their initial diagnosis to see if we can reduce the need for ED utilization in the future.

Endometriosis is the most common cause of secondary dysmenorrhea in young women. While laparoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis, there are significant delays in diagnosis, placing patients at increased risk of long-term health implications such as chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and reduced quality of life. A clinical diagnosis of endometriosis can be made based on the patient's symptoms, such as inadequate response to hormonal therapy. This retrospective study aims to characterize the uptake of hormonal therapy and/or surgical intervention among young women with dysmenorrhea and a suspected clinical diagnosis of endometriosis. This study aims to identify barriers to treatment uptake, and their impacts on diagnostic delay and symptom outcomes with a goal of improving counseling and reducing disparities in endometriosis diagnosis and management. The student will perform a retrospective chart review and have the opportunity to develop a related research question of their own that they would like to explore under the mentorship of Dr. Danielle Cipres. Students with an underrepresented in medicine background or with an interest in addressing health disparities are strongly encouraged to apply.