Voice of Customer
Endometriosis is not just a painful period
Sur180 Therapeutics conducted research with patients and physicians to understand the real experience of living with endometriosis, the gaps in current treatment, and openness to new non-hormonal therapies.
12
patients who shared their stories
11
physicians across specialties
Our Services
A full-body condition that takes over every dimension of life
All 12 patients experienced severe, debilitating pain far beyond typical menstrual cramping — described as "electric shooting," "in the bones," or "full body from knees to ribcage." Two compared it to childbirth. The suffering extends well past the physical.
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Pain Profile:
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Deep, full-body pain described as "bones hurting," "electric shooting," "dagger and burning"
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Pain extends from knees to ribcage
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Not limited to menstrual cycle; chronic pelvic pain throughout month
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Psychosocial Impact:
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Social withdrawal and isolation ("No one understands")
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Missed work and career limitations (fear of being seen as unreliable)
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Strained intimate relationships due to painful intercourse (universal concern)
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Impact on romantic partnerships and relationship strain
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Feeling "broken" and grief over fertility loss
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12/12
reported debilitating, full-body symptoms described as "electric shooting," "in the bones," or "full body from knees to ribcage"
10/12
struggled with significant fatigue; 5 couldn't get out of bed during flares
8/12
experienced mood changes; 3 experienced extreme depression
7/12
experienced painful intercourse; 5 reported significant relationship strain
"I feel it's like a conjoined twin — it's always there, something is always attached to you that you can't get rid of."
Patient, age 29
"Sometimes it's so bad it's hard for me to get out of bed. The fatigue, the longevity of it, that's what really hit me."
Patient, age 34
"I want my life back. I'm young, and sex is still excruciating after five years of marriage."
Patient, age 31
Beyond the pain
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Extreme fatigue impacting daily function
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Severe bloating and digestive issues
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Heavy bleeding requiring blood transfusions or diapers in extreme cases
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Frequent bathroom visits disrupting work and social activities
Years of dismissal before a single answer
For most patients, getting a diagnosis required becoming their own advocate — switching doctors, enduring multiple hospital visits, and fighting a system that told them their pain was normal.
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Patients spend years being dismissed — most often by male providers — before being taken seriously. By the time they receive a diagnosis, many have lost trust in the medical system entirely.
"It took me having a full mental breakdown for these doctors to, like, take me seriously."
Patient, age 31
​​"I've heard 'it's in your head' from at least seven doctors. Seven. And you have to fight for yourself."
Patient, age 27
3.8
years average time to diagnosis
10/12
experienced provider dismissal — told pain was normal or 'in their head'
7/12
​had negative male doctor experiences and now actively avoid them
Patient Treatment Experience
Hormonal therapies dominate treatment but often bring side effects as disruptive as the disease. Surgery may offer temporary relief, yet pain frequently returns within years. With limited satisfying medical options, many patients turn to lifestyle changes—diet, weight loss, herbal remedies, and heat therapy. These aren't just workarounds; they represent patients reclaiming a sense of control over a condition that has taken so much of it away.
11/12
tried hormonal birth control — nearly universal, but plagued by side effects
5/12
had surgery — with pain frequently returning, and 3 progressing to or considering hysterectomy
5/12
rely on lifestyle changes or heating pads as their preferred symptom relievers
"I feel like I'm just managing it, not fixing it. Every treatment comes with a new problem — mood swings, weight gain, or it just stops working."
Patient, age 32
"I just want someone to actually listen to me. Not to tell me it's in my head. I've been fighting for years just to be believed."
Patient, age 45
Why diagnosis takes so long
Laparoscopy with biopsy is the only definitive diagnostic tool — yet it is invasive, costly, and not universally accessible. Most physicians rely on a clinical diagnosis approach: a combination of symptoms (painful periods, pain with intercourse, painful bowel movements, chronic pelvic pain) and response to empirical treatment. Pelvic ultrasound is the first-line imaging tool — useful for ruling out other conditions, but rarely confirmatory for endometriosis itself. MRI is mentioned as an emerging supplement, not yet standard of care.
Patients were frustrated by the lack of non-invasive screening options, and many were diagnosed incidentally during unrelated procedures.
Physicians are frustrated too
No long-term solution exists, disease modification remains out of reach, and cost barriers determine care more than clinical judgment does. Physicians know the treatment landscape is broken — every current option either has a time limit, suppresses symptoms without modifying disease, or is inaccessible to the patients who need it most. They feel the gap every day, and they're frustrated by it.
11/11
physicians: no long-term solution exists for 30+ years of disease
11/11
physicians cited cost and insurance access as the top adoption barrier —
unprompted
5/11
physicians acknowledged Black and Hispanic women present with more advanced disease due to delayed diagnosis
"Pain in general involves a psychological component... we don't usually address that, not because we don't want to, but because in general, psychological well-being is not part of what insurance companies think needs to be covered... And we're talking about a lifelong problem here.”
OBGYN, Age 50+
This is the single most consistent finding across all 11 physicians:
There is no treatment that can safely and effectively manage endometriosis across the 20–30+ years between onset and natural menopause. Every current option either has a time limit, suppresses symptoms without slowing disease, interferes with fertility, or produces side effects patients can't sustain.
A New Approach to Treating Endometriosis
At Sur180 Therapeutics, we are developing a novel non-hormonal treatment designed to target inflammation and cell proliferation — not hormones. The goal is to reduce pain and potentially slow disease progression without impacting estrogen or progesterone, which could mean fewer side effects and no disruption to fertility.
Physicians described our approach before they heard about it
When 11 physicians independently described their ideal endometriosis treatment, they converged on the same concept — targeting inflammation and cell proliferation, preserving fertility, and offering long-term use. That is exactly what Sur180 is designed to do.
Strongest alignment across the study — both groups say YES to Sur180
Physicians immediately grasped the scientific logic of targeting inflammation and proliferation. Patients responded with relief and emotional permission. Both groups want to preserve fertility, avoid menopausal side effects, and finally have a long-term option.
"Nobody wants to try menopause for a couple of months. This approach removes that conversation entirely — and that alone is a huge win."
OBGYN, Age 40-44
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