Open today: what a doctor can prescribe
These are approved by the FDA for endometriosis pain specifically. That means a doctor can write you a prescription. It does not mean they are right for you, and both have a hard time limit because of bone loss.
elagolix — A daily pill that lowers the hormones driving the disease. Approved for moderate to severe endometriosis pain.
Time-limited: 6 months at the higher dose, 24 months at the lower one, because it thins your bones.
relugolix, estradiol and norethindrone acetate — One pill, once a day, that combines the hormone blocker with add-back hormones. Approved for moderate to severe endometriosis pain.
Time-limited: 24 months total, because of continued bone loss that may not come back.
Carries the FDA's strongest warning, for blood clots and strokes. If you smoke, are over 35, or have had a clot, this matters enormously. Ask about it directly.
You can knock today: studies recruiting now
There are 159 studies recruiting for endometriosis worldwide right now, and 29 of them have a site in the United States. That gap is real: most endometriosis research is happening in Europe. This list came from the public registry on 22 September 2026.
Still being built: real, and not yours yet
These are the ones you may have read about. Every one of them is real. Not one of them is something you can get today, and the gap between a headline and a prescription is usually years.
A non-hormonal drug designed to clear the lesions themselves rather than mask the pain.
FDA cleared it to BEGIN human testing in March 2026. The first study is in healthy volunteers, not in women with endometriosis.
A blood test to find endometriosis without surgery. Reported 94.4% accuracy in a 298-woman study.
Not FDA cleared. The company said it planned to file with the FDA in late 2026.
A scan that lights up the inflammation of endometriosis, including the shallow lesions ultrasound misses.
Has FDA fast track designation, which speeds up review. It is not approved.
The words that move an appointment
The single biggest thing standing between women and treatment is not a missing drug. It is the years it takes to be believed. These are the sentences that move an appointment forward, because they ask for a decision instead of describing a feeling.
- I want endometriosis considered specifically. Please write in my notes whether it was ruled in or ruled out, and why.
- My pain stops me doing normal things on __ days a month. Here is the diary.
- What would have to be true for you to refer me to a gynaecologist who treats endometriosis?
- If we try this treatment, how long before we know it failed, and what is the next step if it does?
- Is there a reason not to refer me for imaging with someone who specifically looks for endometriosis?
Updated 22 September 2026. Study list refreshed from the public registry on 22 September 2026. Nothing here is sold, sponsored or tracked.
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