Read this if you’re asking, “Is Endometriosis a Disability?”

Endometriosis is a chronic condition that can have a significant impact on daily life and activities. But it’s not considered a disability by most medical professionals or the law.

That’s likely because long-term conditions like endometriosis can have variable effects, with some people having more severe symptoms and others being able to manage their symptoms without specialist care and treatment.

Although endometriosis is not officially recognized as a disability, many people who live with it and know how disabling it can be use the term.

It’s also possible that disability benefits are available if you find that the condition is severely limiting your ability to lead a normal life, especially where work is concerned.

Because endometriosis causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow elsewhere in the body, it can be accompanied by a wide range of symptoms.

This can include:

Some people may not have noticeable symptoms or may be able to manage them to the point where they can participate in everyday activities.

But others have debilitating symptoms that affect their ability to do everyday things.

Until now, not a strong connection was found between the severity of endometriosis tissue growth and the severity of symptoms. So some people with more severe endometriosis may experience less pain than people with milder forms.

Pain can be one of the hardest things to deal with — so much so that endometriosis has been linked to a bigger chance the development of anxiety and depression and the potential for the body to become particularly sensitive to pain over time.

Endometriosis is currently not curable. However, there are several treatments that should be considered to manage and relieve symptoms such as pain. They mainly include medication and surgery.

Because endometriotic tissue grows in response to hormonal stimulation, medications that lower hormone levels can be used to limit the growth of endometriotic tissue.

Medications that can help with endometriosis symptoms include hormonal birth control such as oral contraceptives and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which work by causing a temporary state of menopause.

Medical treatments can come along side effects such as insomnia, headaches and hot flashes. And the symptoms of endometriosis may flare up again after stopping such treatment.

Surgery to remove tissue may be useful for more severe symptoms or when hormonal medications are not helping.

Sometimes hormonal medications can be re-administered after surgery. Again, it is possible for tissue to grow back after surgical removal.

Other treatment options include pain relievers, complementary therapies such as acupuncture, and dietary supplements.

A final option is a total hysterectomy. This is usually not considered until several other treatments have been tried.

For those with endometriosis who are actively trying to conceive, most of these treatments, such as birth control pills or a hysterectomy, are not viable options.

Endometriosis can affect your fertility in a number of ways, which can make it harder for you to conceive. Talk to a doctor or fertility specialist about your symptoms. They may be able to recommend more advanced fertility treatments to support the pregnancy.

“For many, endometriosis is not only difficult to diagnose medically,” says Kryss Shane, LSW, LMSW, “but typically results in loved ones being told at length that period pain or abdominal pain is ‘a woman’s bane’ or ‘all on your mind ‘ or similar.”

Over time, this – along with the feeling of being dismissed from medical professionals –“Can demoralize the person and cause them to start questioning themselves,” Shane continues. “For those who don’t identify as women, this can also reinforce gender dysphoria.”