Thousands of people worldwide will gather March 25 for the fourth Worldwide Endometriosis March to raise awareness of the disease.
More than 47 countries will take part in this year’s EndoMarch event. It will be an opportunity for those with endometriosis to have their voices heard collectively.
Raising awareness of endometriosis is crucial to achieving earlier diagnoses and providing patients with earlier access to treatment. Women in the United Kingdom suffer an average of 7.5 years before receiving a diagnosis, research has shown.
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows outside it.
In the United States, the EndoMarch will take place in San Francisco (check the Facebook event), Los Angeles (Facebook event), Louisville (Facebook event), Chicago (Facebook event), Minneapolis (Facebook event) and Washington (Facebook event).
In the UK, people will gather in London (Facebook event), Manchester (Facebook event), Cardiff (Facebook event) and Glasgow (Facebook event).
Other countries that plan marches include:
Argentina, Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney and Wollongong), Austria, Barbados (Bridgetown and St. Michael), Belgium, Brazil (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Florianópolis, Porto Alegre, Campo Grande, Brasília, Boa Vista, Fortaleza, Salvador, Londrina, Maringá, Curitiba), Canada (Alberta), China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Kuwait, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panamá, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden (Gothenburg, Halmstad and Stockholm), Switzerland, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The marches share common goals:
- To empower women worldwide to take a stand against the disease.
- To educate and raise awareness about endometriosis and its effects on women and girls.
- To educate and train members of the medical community in the importance of early detection and improved treatment of endometriosis.
- To educate the public and medical professionals worldwide about the effects of this disease.
- To find a cure for endometriosis and to develop non-invasive diagnostic tools.
- To implement health screenings for endometriosis among girls and young women in public schools.
- To educate governments about the need for funding endometriosis research and treatment.
Find out more about local march teams and how to register for the event. Answers to FAQs are available here.
If you participate, don’t forget to take a photo of yourself at the march and share your #myendomarch memories in social media. Take a selfie holding a sign, a paper or a post-it note that says why you are participating, so you can help raise awareness yourself.
Submit your photo to [email protected] so it can be featured on an official 2017 EndoMarch website. When you do, include this line in your email: “I give my permission for the Worldwide Endo March to utilize this photo for their promotional materials.”