Specializing Care, (Re)Producing Inequalities: Who Is Excluded from Endometriosis?

The diagnostic and therapeutic delays that are distinctive of many endometriosis care pathways highlight the existence of inequalities that shape the trajectory regarding the disease and the therapeutic care. The social characteristics of people with endometriosis, emphasized by the therapeutic support system, act as factors of differentiation in accessing diagnosis, care, and therapeutic alliance. This article highlights some of these differentiation processes, examines different forms of exclusion, and explains the systemic nature of medical pathway diversification. By adopting an intersectional analysis of medical trajectories and hospital interactions, it analyzes the processes of (re)production of health inequalities and explains the mechanisms of exclusion in endometriosis care.