Please Do More Studies on Causes and Better Treatments for Adenomyosis - The NIH is Ready for Applic

Several months ago, I closed a petition to ask the NIH for more funding for adenomyosis research. Thank you so much for the 545 people who signed...we did get a response. Here it is:

Thank you for writing to Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institues of Health (NIH) to request increased research on the uterine disorder adenomyosis. Since the institute that I direct at the NIH is so involved in issues related to women's health, Dr. Collins referred your letter to me for reply.

Adenomyosis is, indeed, a serious condition that can cause pain, bleeding, infertility, and other physical symptoms. However, as you point out, we need to know far more about these symptoms and their causes to be able to prevent or even treat them more effectively. As you point out, the advent of improved imaging technologies is certainly helping to identify and increase our understanding of adenomyosis, but there is more work left to do.

One of the newest scientific research branches at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is titled, and focused on, "Gynecologic Health and Disease." This branch supports basic, translational, and clinical research related to gynecologic health throughout the reproductive lifespan, with the goal of providing the scientific evidence needed to develop methods for preventing, diagnosing, and treating gynecologic disorders. Recently, adenomyosis was added to the list of disorders on which the branch will focus.

The majority of NIH funding supports research proposed by investigators from academic institutions across the country. However, given current fiscal constraints, only the top applications are funded, after going through the extensive peer review process. To fund more research grants on adenomyosis, it is critical to get excellent applications. If any researchers who have an interest in this area would like to discuss their ideas further, they should contact Dr. Lisa Halvorson, the chief of our Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch, at halvorsonlm@mail.nih.gov.

I hope this information is helpful. Thank you again for writing to the NIH - and for your work in making a difference in the lives of the many women with adenomyosis.
Sincerely,
Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D.
Director, NICHD

So, now we need to petition the actual academic institutions who are involved in gynecological research. I will be researching these specific institutions over the next several months. This petition will be going to many different places, not just one, and we are asking them to develop excellent studies and apply for funding through the NIH for studies on adenomyosis - both causes and treatments. We are going to need as many signatures as possible, so please pass the word. I am also working on a new website for the Adenomyosis Information Network which will contain all the updates on the work that is being done to make adenomyosis as recognized a term as endometriosis. I will update this petition site when the new website is up and running.

Thanks so much for your support! Let's put the spotlight on adenomyosis and demand more research so we can get better treatment options!!