Statistics: Gynecological Health at a Glance

Virtually every woman is affected by a gynecological condition or infection at some time during her life. Consider the following:

Aside from AIDS, the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among women is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). In the United States, more than one million women experience an episode of acute PID each year, with teenagers having the highest rate of infection. More than 100,000 women become infertile each year as a result of PID.
It is estimated that between 10 percent and 20 percent of American women - or 5.5 million women and girls - of childbearing age have endometriosis. This makes endometriosis more common than AIDS and more common than cancer. Endometriosis is one of the three major causes of female infertility.
Chlamydia, a sexually transmitted vaginal infection, is the most frequently reported infectious disease in the United States. However, 75 percent of women have no symptoms and may not seek healthcare. Left untreated, 40 percent of women will develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and 20 percent of these women will become infertile.

Consider the following gynecological cancer statistics from the American Cancer Society (ACS):

Cancer of the endometrium is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. It is estimated that 40,320 new cases of endometrial cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2004, and about 7,090 women will die from endometrial cancer.
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer among women. It is estimated that about 25,580 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2004. Ovarian cancer accounts for 4 percent of all new cancers in women and causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. It is estimated that there will be about 16,090 deaths from ovarian cancer during 2004.
The mortality rates for cervical cancer have declined sharply as Pap screenings have become more prevalent. About 10,520 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the US during 2004. Some researchers estimate that noninvasive cervical cancer (also referred to as "carcinoma in situ") is nearly four times more common than invasive cervical cancer.
When vulvar cancer is detected early, it is highly curable. It is estimated that about 3,970 cases of vulvar cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2004.
Vaginal cancer is relatively rare - responsible for about 3 percent of cancers of the female reproductive system. It is estimated that approximately 2,160 cases of vaginal cancer will be diagnosed in the US during 2004.

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Online Resources of Gynecological Health