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Women with endometriosis may lose a month’s salary each year – study
Women with endometriosis say menstrual leave and flexible working would help most, as research estimates yearly income losses of €1,757 (£1,502).
Pain and fatigue were linked to more frequent work absences and reduced job performance.
The first large-scale study of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe estimated that women with the condition lose an average of €1,757 in income each year, roughly equal to one month’s average salary in Hungary.
The estimate covers income lost through work absences and does not include reduced productivity while at work or healthcare costs.
Researchers at Semmelweis University analysed data from 566 women with endometriosis and 447 women without the condition.
Using internationally validated questionnaires, they assessed work productivity, absenteeism and work ability.
Women with endometriosis lost an average of 12.7 working hours over four weeks because of health-related problems, compared with 5.7 hours among women in the control group.
Based on the hours missed, researchers estimated an average annual income loss of €1,757 for each affected woman.
Dr Dóra Balogh, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Semmelweis University and senior author, said: “The impact of endometriosis is not only a health issue but also a major social and economic one.
“The condition affects women during one of the most active stages of their lives, meaning it can influence employment, career development, and long-term financial security.”
Endometriosis affects about 10 per cent of women of reproductive age worldwide.
It is a chronic gynaecological condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the womb, causing chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, fatigue and, in some cases, infertility.
Symptoms often persist for many years before the condition is diagnosed.
The study found that 42 per cent of women with endometriosis had poor work ability, compared with 17.9 per cent of women in the control group.
Poor work ability means a person’s health makes it harder to perform their job and increases the risk of prolonged work disability or leaving the workforce.
Dr Dominika Miklós, resident physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Semmelweis University and first author, said: “The most surprising finding was that nearly half of the women with endometriosis fell into this category.
“Without appropriate support, the condition may not only make day-to-day work more difficult but also threaten women’s ability to remain in the workforce over the long term.”
Researchers also found that many workplaces were not adequately prepared to support employees with endometriosis.
Some 54 per cent of respondents said their employer had little or no knowledge of the condition, while only 17 per cent believed their workplace was sufficiently informed about it.
Participants said they would most value menstrual leave, flexible working hours, remote or hybrid working and greater understanding and support from employers.
Some European countries, including Spain and Portugal, already allow menstrual leave in certain circumstances.
The research formed part of the international FEMaLe, or Finding Endometriosis with Machine Learning, programme, launched in 2020.
At Semmelweis University, the project is led by Dr Attila Bokor, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The programme aims to improve understanding of endometriosis, promote earlier diagnosis and investigate its health, social and economic impact.
Researchers said it was the first comprehensive study in Central and Eastern Europe to examine work productivity, work ability and workplace support at the same time.
The findings were consistent with studies from Western Europe and Australia, suggesting the effect of endometriosis on working life is similar across regions.
Researchers concluded that flexible working arrangements and better-informed employers could help women with endometriosis remain in the workforce.
The FDA has granted accelerated approval to AstraZeneca drug Etcamah for certain adults with advanced breast cancer carrying an ESR1 mutation.
Etcamah, also known as camizestrant, was approved in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor, either abemaciclib, palbociclib or ribociclib.
The treatment is for adults with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer when an estrogen receptor-1 (ESR1) mutation is detected during aromatase inhibitor and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy using an FDA-authorised test.
ESR1 mutations are acquired resistance mutations that tumours may develop during treatment with aromatase inhibitors, a type of endocrine therapy commonly used as a front-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
Fewer than 5 per cent of patients have the mutation when HR-positive metastatic breast cancer is diagnosed, according to the FDA. After disease progression on an aromatase inhibitor, nearly 40 per cent have the mutation.
Acting FDA commissioner Kyle Diamantas said: “Women living with metastatic breast cancer face an uphill battle as their tumors continuously evolve to escape treatment.
“We owe them every weapon in our arsenal.
“Today’s approval delivers a win to these patients by granting them a targeted therapy designed specifically to overcome resistance, giving them more time before their disease progresses.”
The accelerated approval programme allows earlier approval of drugs that treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need based on surrogate or intermediate endpoints.
For Etcamah, approval was based on how long patients lived without their disease worsening, measured from when the resistance mutation was first detected in their blood.
The FDA said it has not yet been confirmed whether intervening when the mutation is detected, rather than waiting until disease progression is confirmed, results in a clinically meaningful benefit. Confirmatory studies are therefore required to verify and describe clinical benefit.
Angelo de Claro, director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, said: “I commend both the FDA and the sponsor for their commitment to advancing cancer care and securing this accelerated approval.
“This marks the first FDA approval of a cancer therapy guided by the detection of a resistance mutation in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) before imaging tests show that the disease is progressing.
“But additional evidence is needed to confirm clinical benefit.”
Circulating tumour DNA, or ctDNA, consists of small pieces of tumour DNA released into the blood and can allow earlier molecular detection of resistance mutations.
The FDA also authorised the Guardant360 CDx assay as a companion diagnostic to identify patients with breast cancer who have ESR1 mutations for treatment with camizestrant.
Efficacy was assessed in a clinical trial comparing a switch to Etcamah plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor with continued treatment using an aromatase inhibitor plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
Estimated median progression-free survival was 16 months in the Etcamah group, compared with 9.2 months in the aromatase inhibitor group.
Etcamah’s prescribing information includes a boxed warning about the risk of irregular heart rhythm when taken with certain other medicines. It also includes warnings about an abnormally slow heart rate and potential harm to an unborn baby.
The FDA convened its Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee for the application on 30 April 2026.
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Young women are more likely than young men to get health and wellness information from social media influencers, a US survey has found.
Among adults aged 18 to 29, 57 per cent of women said they received health and wellness information from influencers, compared with 47 per cent of men.
The Pew Research Center study surveyed 5,023 US adults and examined how young people consume health and wellness content online.
Local university students said influencer content frequently appeared in their social media feeds.
Kabija Koroma, a local university student, said: “It’s more exercise stuff, more like protein and like meals and like how to get ready and like the outfits of the day of videos on TikTok or lately. My favourite ones.”
About 51 per cent of women under 30 said they often consumed influencer content focused on beauty and personal appearance, compared with 18 per cent of men.
The study also found that 21 per cent of women often saw content about therapies outside mainstream medicine, compared with 10 per cent of men.
At least one-third of both young women and young men often encountered influencer content about mental health and weight loss. Around half or more of both groups regularly saw fitness-related content.
Another local university student, Ania Davis, said: “I see a lot like how to meal prep and how to get your morning started. Affirmations stuff. But I do also ask the adults around me because sometimes the internet is not right.”
Researchers also looked at why young adults sought health and wellness information from influencers.
About 51 per cent of young women said they watched the content because they wanted to change their health or lifestyle.
Women were also more likely than men to say they enjoyed hearing from people who shared their background or beliefs, at 23 per cent compared with 14 per cent.
Nineteen per cent of young women said they used influencer content to learn about topics they did not want to ask their doctors about, compared with 10 per cent of young men.
Despite regularly using social media, some students said they did not rely solely on influencer content when making decisions about their health and wellness.
Koroma said: “I’m always on TikTok 24/7 and Instagram, but I also like to ask people older than me because I don’t know everything.”
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