Reading Endometriosis and Infertility Figures: What the Numbers Cover and What to Log

Updated 3 October 2026

At a glance

The ACOG endometriosis FAQ states that up to 6 in 10 women with infertility have endometriosis.
The WHO endometriosis fact sheet states that among women with infertility, as many as 25-50% have endometriosis.
The ASRM fact sheet on endometriosis and infertility states that 20% to 50% of infertile females have endometriosis.
This guide covers the figures, their direction, months of trying, what the sources name, treatment context, surgery and test dates, feelings and the visit page.
Endometriosis Journey keeps cycle dates, pelvic pain, test dates, fertility questions and visit notes in one dated history.

Numbers about endometriosis and infertility travel fast and lose their context. A figure that counts endometriosis inside a group with infertility is easy to read as a forecast for one person.

This guide covers what three published figures state, which direction they run, how to write down months of trying, what the sources name as ways endometriosis may matter for fertility, treatment context, surgery and test dates, the emotional side and a one-page visit summary. It sticks to signs and records, and every medical decision stays with a clinician. Each section ends with how Endometriosis Journey (by Health Journey Labs) keeps that part of the record.

Three published figures on endometriosis and infertility: what each page states

Questions about getting pregnant with endometriosis often start with a number, and the numbers differ by source. The ACOG endometriosis FAQ states that endometriosis is a common cause of infertility and that up to 6 in 10 women with infertility have endometriosis. The WHO endometriosis fact sheet states that endometriosis is associated with infertility globally, and that among women with infertility as many as 25-50% have endometriosis. The ASRM fact sheet on endometriosis and infertility states that endometriosis can make it more difficult to become pregnant and that 20% to 50% of infertile females have endometriosis.

All three describe a share, and the share is counted among people who have infertility. That direction matters when reading them: each figure says how often endometriosis turns up in a group with infertility, and each leaves the chance of pregnancy for one person with endometriosis to a clinician who knows her history.

The ranges also differ, from 20% to 50% in the ASRM fact sheet on endometriosis and infertility, 25-50% in the WHO endometriosis fact sheet and up to 60% in the ACOG endometriosis FAQ. Different studies and definitions produce different shares, so a single number from a headline is a rough guide at best. The figures show why fertility questions come up in endometriosis care and why a clinician may ask about months of trying, cycles and prior tests.

The Daily Journal in Endometriosis Journey takes free-text or voice notes, including fertility questions, so a question that comes up after reading a figure can be written down the same day. The Daily check-in keeps those notes alongside pelvic pain, fatigue and bowel or bladder symptoms for the same date.

Reading the direction of endometriosis infertility figures: groups versus one person's record

It helps to say the direction of a statistic out loud. "Up to 6 in 10 women with infertility have endometriosis" starts from infertility and counts endometriosis. A question that starts from endometriosis, such as how likely pregnancy is for one person, is a different question and needs different information: the extent of disease, the results of tests, age, and the situation of a partner or donor. None of those appear in a headline figure.

The ACOG endometriosis FAQ also says that the amount of pain does not always match the severity of the condition, and that endometriosis can be found only after being unable to get pregnant or during surgery for another reason. A pain score therefore cannot stand in for a diagnosis or a forecast, while a dated record shows the facts a clinician asks about.

(Endometriosis Journey checklist) Four facts make a record readable for this topic:

Trying-to-conceive date checklist, by Endometriosis Journey

☐ The date you started trying, or the date you began wondering about it.
☐ Period start and stop dates, with flow described in your own words.
☐ Pelvic pain, bowel or bladder symptoms and fatigue, on the days they occur.
☐ Dates of ultrasounds, bloodwork, other tests and any surgery.

With Endometriosis Journey, the Period Tracker records start and stop dates, flow and how heavy or light bleeding felt, and it is read against pelvic pain, energy and bowel symptoms. The history is one shared record, so each of the four facts appears on the same timeline as the others.

Months of trying with endometriosis and how infertility is defined: what to write down

The ACOG glossary defines infertility as the inability to get pregnant after 1 year of having regular vaginal sex without the use of birth control, or after less than 1 year based on factors like medical history, age or test results. The ASRM fact sheet on endometriosis and infertility gives the same one-year definition in its infertility booklet. Both definitions rest on a count of time, which is a fact a record can hold.

Because the definition includes medical history, age and test results, the line between waiting and asking can vary by person. That decision belongs to a clinician, who works better from dates than from estimates.

From Endometriosis Journey, we recommend keeping the count simple:

Fertility history list, by Endometriosis Journey

The first month of trying, written as a date.
Whether birth control was stopped and when, as a dated fact.
Cycle length, using the start dates of each period.
Any change in plans, such as a pause, with the date it began.

If a visit is coming, add the question you want answered at the top of the page. For a general starting point on what to record before any diagnosis, see How to Start Tracking Endometriosis Before a Diagnosis.

In Endometriosis Journey, the Period Tracker holds the start and stop dates that make cycle length easy to read, and the Daily Journal holds partner talks, fertility questions and visit debriefs in free text. Insights can strengthen as the shared history grows, which suits a count that runs over many months.

Scar tissue, tubes, and inflammation in endometriosis: what the sources name and what to record

The ASRM fact sheet on endometriosis and infertility says there are many ways endometriosis is suspected to decrease fertility, and it names pelvic inflammation and scar tissue, impairment of fallopian tube function, and decreased egg quality. The ACOG endometriosis FAQ describes it in two cases: in severe endometriosis, the fallopian tubes may be blocked by adhesions or scar tissue, and in less severe cases, inflammation may damage the sperm or egg or interfere with their movement through the tubes and uterus.

These are explanations of how the condition may matter for fertility. Whether any of them applies to one person depends on imaging, surgery findings and clinical examination, so the record has no way to answer it. The record can hold the pieces a clinician uses:

What to note about pain linked to scarring

This checklist from Endometriosis Journey records each kind of pain with a date.

☐ Pain with periods, pain during sex and pain with bowel movements or urination, each on the dates it happened.
☐ Ultrasound dates and what the report said about any ovarian cyst, called an endometrioma.
☐ The date and type of any laparoscopy, plus what the surgeon reported.
☐ Any change in bleeding pattern, such as spotting between periods.

The MedlinePlus page on endometriosis lists pelvic pain, infertility, painful cramps, pain during or after sex, heavy periods, spotting and fatigue among the symptoms, so those labels are safe to use in the log.

The Flare Tracker in Endometriosis Journey flags a day clearly worse than a usual week, with onset, intensity and a short note for pelvic pain, fatigue or bowel symptoms. My Labs keeps result dates for imaging, bloodwork and other tests, read against pain and function.

Endometriosis treatment context the sources describe for people who want to get pregnant

Several sources describe how a goal of pregnancy shapes endometriosis care. The ACOG endometriosis FAQ states that treatment depends on factors that include whether or not you want to get pregnant in the future. It says that if you have endometriosis pain but are trying to get pregnant, an ob-gyn may recommend that you try nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs first, and that you will not be able to get pregnant while taking GnRH agonists. The NHS page on endometriosis states that hormones are not given to someone trying to get pregnant and mentions referral to a fertility specialist when there is difficulty getting pregnant. The WHO endometriosis fact sheet adds that some hormonal methods may not be suitable for women who want to get pregnant.

Each of those sentences describes what a clinician may weigh. Choosing, starting, stopping or switching any medicine is a decision for the prescribing clinician, so the record should hold facts only:

Medicines in use and when they started

Endometriosis Journey keeps medicine names as the label shows them.

☐ The names of medicines you already use for pain, as directed, and the dates a clinician changed the plan.
☐ The note "trying to get pregnant" with its start date, so every clinician reads the same context.
☐ Pain levels on the days around any change in plan.

My Meds in Endometriosis Journey records medicine names, timing and medication entries for the options you already use for pain as directed, read against pain weeks, energy and sleep. The My Care Team tool holds clinicians and short visit notes, so what each clinician said is kept in one place.

Endometriosis surgery and test results in a fertility conversation: dates to keep

The ASRM fact sheet on endometriosis and infertility says laparoscopy may provide useful information to help determine the best options to help you conceive and whether fertility therapy is needed. It also states that there is a limit as to how much surgery can improve pregnancy rates, that treatment is individualized, and that surgery can improve the chances of natural conception because it may help restore normal pelvic anatomy. The ACOG endometriosis FAQ says surgery can be done to relieve pain and improve fertility. The WHO endometriosis fact sheet adds that success in reducing pain and increasing pregnancy rates through surgery often depends on the extent of disease, and that lesions may recur even after successful eradication.

For a future clinician, the most useful records from past surgery and tests are plain:

List of surgery and test results, by Endometriosis Journey

The date and name of each procedure and the clinic where it was done.
What the report said about the extent and location of disease, copied in the report's own words.
Any pain change in the weeks after, written as dated entries.
The date and name of each scan or blood test, with the result date.

See What to Bring to a 15-Minute Endometriosis Visit for a one-page plan.

With Endometriosis Journey, My Labs keeps result dates for imaging and bloodwork, and the Doctor Report exports a one-page summary of dates, pelvic pain, cycle timing, energy and how you functioned for a gyn visit.

Fertility worry with endometriosis: logging what the day limited and partner talks

Questions about getting pregnant can weigh on days that already include pain. The WHO endometriosis fact sheet states that severe pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, fatigue, depression, anxiety, infertility, poor sexual health and social isolation can dramatically reduce quality of life. The NHS page on endometriosis lists difficulty getting pregnant and low mood or anxiety among possible symptoms. Writing these down gives a clinician the context that a pain score cannot.

A short entry after a hard conversation or a hard result can hold:

Logging daily limits and fertility worries in one line

Endometriosis Journey writes both in a single short line.

What the day limited, such as work, plans or a trip.
A fertility question that came up, in your own words, for a future visit.
A partner conversation, summarized in a sentence or two.
Low mood or worry that lasted or returned, with the dates.

Contact a clinician when low mood, worry or pain keeps returning or interferes with daily life. For wording to use with a partner on a hard day, see How to Explain an Endometriosis Flare to Your Partner.

The Daily Journal in Endometriosis Journey has room for what the day limited, partner talks, fertility questions, visit debriefs and leftover guilt after you canceled, and the AI companions can help word a calm partner script from the logged history.

A one-page summary of endometriosis for a fertility appointment: dates, symptoms, and questions

A clinician has limited time, so a page that opens with the question works better than a long diary. Build one page:

One-page summary for the fertility visit, by Endometriosis Journey

☐ The question you want answered, written first, such as what your history means for pregnancy.
☐ The date you started trying and the cycle start dates since.
☐ Pelvic pain, bleeding pattern and fatigue across the last several cycles.
☐ Dates of past scans, bloodwork and surgery.
☐ Medicines in use, as dated facts.

Visit questions take one form, Is it worth reviewing the months of trying and the cycle dates together? Is it worth reviewing past scan and surgery reports together? Is it worth reviewing the pain entries around my cycles together?

The ACOG FAQ states that an ob-gyn may first ask for a detailed health history and a list of symptoms, and that many symptoms are similar to those of other problems. A dated list answers the first request and helps with the second.

In Endometriosis Journey, My Care Team holds what to ask and bring, notes during the visit and the review afterward, and the Doctor Report turns the logged history into one page. The Learn topics cover cycle pain, fatigue, pacing and visit prep.

How Endometriosis Journey can help

A paper notebook handles a month count and a cycle list well, as long as every line has a date. When pain, bleeding, test results and medicine entries need to be read together across months, an app keeps them in one history; Best Endometriosis Apps 2026 compares the options.

Endometriosis Journey is a personal endometriosis tracker from Health Journey Labs on the App Store and Google Play. It lets you record cycle dates, pelvic pain, fertility questions and visit notes in one shared history. The page you bring to a visit then comes from dated entries instead of memory. Below is what you can use and how each part helps.

Daily check-in — A guided daily form for physical symptoms, emotional state, nutrition, sleep, exercise, meds and external factors, including pelvic pain, fatigue, bowel or bladder symptoms and what work or plans you limited, read against the rest of the logged history.
Daily Journal — Free-text and voice notes on what the day limited, partner talks, fertility questions, visit debriefs and leftover guilt after you canceled.
Flare Tracker — Marks a day clearly worse than a usual week, with onset, intensity and a short note for pelvic pain, fatigue or bowel symptoms, so one-off rises separate from repeating patterns.
My Meds — Medicine names, timing and medication entries for the options you already use for pain as directed, read against pain weeks, energy and sleep.
My Labs — Result dates for imaging, bloodwork and other tests, read against pain and function.
Weekly Goals — One small aim for the week and a record of whether it held, read against real check-ins.
Learn — Short education topics and prompts on cycle pain, fatigue, pacing and visit preparation.
AI companions — Clara for general chat plus specialist companions, all able to see the logged history; useful for visit wording or a calm partner script.
My Care Team — Clinicians and short visit notes, used to prepare what to ask and bring, to write notes during the visit and to review afterward.
Doctor Report — A one-page summary exported from the logged history: dates, pelvic pain, cycle timing, energy and how you functioned, for a gyn visit.
My Assessments — Structured check-ins beyond the daily scores, plus life and social context from onboarding.
Food Tracker — Meal or drink lines, read against pain, energy, bowel symptoms and flares.
Period Tracker — Start and stop dates, flow and how heavy or light bleeding felt, read against pelvic pain, energy, bowel symptoms and everything else logged.
Weight Tracker — Scale readings or body notes, read against energy, sleep and pain.

Everything you log builds one history, and insights get stronger as it grows. Custom symptoms let you add your own labels.

We make Endometriosis Journey at Health Journey Labs. This guide is educational and does not replace medical advice. Diagnosis, medication decisions, and urgent care decisions belong with your treating clinicians.

Sources

FAQ

The answers below draw on the sources cited in this guide, and the app they mention is Endometriosis Journey (by Health Journey Labs).

Can I get pregnant with endometriosis?

The sources describe endometriosis as a common cause of infertility and say it can make pregnancy more difficult. None of them gives a personal chance, because that depends on the extent of disease, test results and age, which a clinician reviews.

A dated record helps that conversation. Endometriosis Journey keeps cycle dates, pelvic pain, test dates and fertility questions in one shared history, so the clinician reads facts instead of estimates from memory at the visit.

What does "up to 6 in 10 women with infertility have endometriosis" mean?

It counts endometriosis inside a group of women who have infertility, according to the ACOG FAQ. The figure starts from infertility, so it describes how often endometriosis turns up in that group and gives no forecast for one woman.

The Daily Journal in Endometriosis Journey takes free-text or voice notes, so a question prompted by a figure like this one can be written down the same day and kept for the next visit.

Why do the percentages differ between sources?

ACOG says up to 6 in 10, WHO says as many as 25-50%, and ASRM says 20% to 50%. Different studies, groups and definitions produce different shares, so a range is a better guide than any single number.

In Endometriosis Journey, Custom symptoms let you add your own labels, and the shared history keeps your dates together, so your own record stays clear and easy to read however the published figures vary from page to page.

What should I write down about months of trying?

Write the date you started trying, whether birth control was stopped and when, and the start date of each period since. The ACOG glossary defines infertility with a one-year count, which a dated list makes easy to check.

The Period Tracker in Endometriosis Journey records start and stop dates, flow and how heavy or light bleeding felt, which gives cycle length and bleeding pattern on one timeline for the clinician to read.

Does my pain level show how severe my endometriosis is?

ACOG notes that pain intensity and the extent of disease can diverge, and that some people learn they have endometriosis only after trouble getting pregnant. A pain log still helps because it supplies dates and patterns.

The Flare Tracker in Endometriosis Journey records onset, intensity and a short note for pelvic pain, fatigue or bowel symptoms, and the history across weeks separates one-off rises from repeating patterns over the months.

Which symptoms are worth logging while thinking about pregnancy?

Log pelvic pain, pain with periods, pain during or after sex, bowel or bladder symptoms, heavy periods, spotting between periods and fatigue. MedlinePlus lists those among symptoms of endometriosis, so they are familiar labels for a clinician.

The Daily check-in in Endometriosis Journey holds physical symptoms, emotional state, sleep, exercise and meds in one pass, with pelvic pain, fatigue and bowel or bladder symptoms as app-specific items for each date you log.

Where do medicines fit in this record?

List medicines as dated facts: the name, the first date, and any date a clinician changed the plan. Decisions about starting, stopping or switching any medicine stay with the prescribing clinician, including when pregnancy is a goal.

My Meds in Endometriosis Journey records medicine names and timing for the options you already use for pain as directed, read against pain weeks, energy and sleep across all the weeks of the log.

Which surgery and test dates should I keep?

Keep the date and name of each procedure, the findings in the report's own words, and the dates of scans and blood tests. The ASRM fact sheet says treatment is individualized, so the details of your own history matter.

My Labs in Endometriosis Journey keeps result dates for imaging, bloodwork and other tests, read against pain and function, and the Doctor Report can put the dates on one page for a visit with a clinician.

How do I log the emotional side of fertility questions?

Write a sentence about what the day limited, the question that came up and any partner conversation. If low mood or worry keeps returning or interferes with daily life, contact a clinician and bring the dates of those entries.

The Daily Journal in Endometriosis Journey has room for partner talks, fertility questions, visit debriefs and leftover guilt after a canceled plan, with voice entry for the days when typing feels like too much.

What should I bring to a fertility visit about endometriosis?

Bring one page: your question, the date you started trying, cycle start dates, pain and bleeding across the last several cycles, past scan and surgery dates, and the dated medicine list. Questions work best in the form Is it worth reviewing these dates together?

The Doctor Report in Endometriosis Journey exports a one-page summary of dates, pelvic pain, cycle timing, energy and how you functioned, and My Care Team holds what to ask and bring to the visit.

How do I talk to a partner about these questions?

A short written summary of the facts can start the conversation: the dates, what the clinician said, and the questions that remain open. Choose a calm moment and share the summary rather than the whole diary.

The AI companions in Endometriosis Journey, including Clara for general chat, already see the logged history and can help word a calm partner script from your real entries and dates, so the facts you share with a partner match your record.

How do I keep a record useful when I change clinicians?

Keep dates, procedure names, report wording and medicine lists in one place, because a new clinician starts from what you can show. A tidy page reduces the chance that fertility questions start from zero at the next visit.

Because Endometriosis Journey builds one shared history, and My Care Team keeps clinicians and visit notes, the record carries across visits and the Doctor Report can summarize it for the new clinician at the first visit.

Can an AI chat help me read these figures?

An AI chat can help organize notes and word questions. A clinician interprets what any figure means for one person, so treat an answer as a list of items to raise and check each one against the sources listed here.

The AI companions in Endometriosis Journey, including Clara for general chat, see the logged history, so a question about your cycle dates starts from your real entries and dates instead of a blank page.

How can I protect my privacy in what I write about my health?

Bleeding, pain during sex and fertility notes are personal, and partners, parents or coworkers may share a device with you. Use a screen lock, keep the log off family tablets, and choose which entries go to the gynecology visit.

With Endometriosis Journey, you decide which health notes to add. Read the app's privacy policy to see how data is stored and handled. This guide gives general information, not medical advice.