“As an association that represents patients with this pathology in our country, and after several years of fighting to make this co-participation a reality, we believe that this is an important first step for our patients to see their rights and needs to be assured,” said the president of MulherEndo, Susana Fonseca, quoted in a statement.

According to the association that supports women with endometriosis, the increase in reimbursement makes it easier to access treatment, thus offering resources and hope to more women facing the painful and potentially disabling symptoms of endometriosis, and also strengthens equity in access to medical treatment.

“Reimbursing 69% of endometriosis medications not only alleviates the financial burden on patients but also reflects the recognition of this problem as a public health issue,” she emphasises.

Endometriosis is one of the most common chronic diseases in fertile women, it is estimated that it affects around 190 million people worldwide, meaning that “one in ten women of reproductive age may have this chronic disease, which is characterised by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, usually associated with debilitating and painful symptoms”.

About three weeks ago, MulherEndo warned that patients with endometriosis continued to pay in full for medications for this chronic gynecological disease, despite an ordinance providing for a 69% co-payment starting January 1st.

In question is an ordinance published on November 25, 2024, signed by the Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo, which includes medicines for the treatment of endometriosis in the B level of co-payment and which determined its entry into force on January 1 of this year.

MulherEndo estimates that endometriosis affects around 350,000 women in Portugal.