In Norway there is a considerable delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis, with figures comparable to results from Anglo-American studies. A greater awareness of symptoms of endometriosis and a more rapid investigation should thus be encouraged.

The study demonstrates a seven fold increased risk of endometriosis in mothers and sisters of patients with endometriosis. It is assumed that daughters of patients with endometriosis have a similar risk of developing endometriosis.

In Sør-Trøndelag county the prevalence of endometriosis is 2.0% and the annual incidence is less than 0.3% for women in their early forties. A woman's life-time risk for endometriosis might be 2.2%. Early menarche, frequent menstruations, pelvic pain, infertility and nulliparity are associated with endometriosis.

This study confirms that endometriosis is a condition that often has considerable impact on a woman's life. However, the study also found that endometriosis does not always cause pain, that treatment in many cases is effective, that infertility may be overcome, and that almost all postmenopausal women were free from endometriosis-associated pain.