Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026: discover the lasting impacts of the FEMaLe project

Endometriosis is a chronic disease characterised by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, which for many is associated with debilitatingly painful symptoms. It is estimated to affect approximately 190 million people globally, equivalent to one in ten women of reproductive age and people assigned female at birth.  

On the occasion of Endometriosis Awareness Month, we look back at the EU-funded project FEMaLe, which focused on improving the detection and treatment of endometriosis using machine learning and multi-omics data. 

Before the end of its journey, HaDEA spoke with FEMaLe’s coordinator Ulrik Bak Kirk in a written and video interview. He explained that the project was designing a predictive model for the detection of endometriosis and its management. Through machine learning and artificial intelligence, the new tools developed by the project would help to facilitate decision-making in terms of diagnosis and care, enable the delivery of precision medicine and drive new discoveries in endometriosis treatment, ultimately improving the quality of life of patients. FEMaLe also published several studies on endometriosis’ diagnostic journey and its impacts on health systems, advancing research in the field.  

Even though FEMaLe formally concluded at the end of 2024, its work continues to have significant impact. On the policy side, the evidence generated by the project contributed to raising awareness of existing structural gaps in women’s health research. Building on that momentum, in October 2025 the Danish government announced the establishment of a national centre for women’s health, with an allocated budget of approximately €21 million (160 million DKK) over the next four years.   

Moreover, the scientific and strategic lessons from FEMaLe were recently consolidated in a major article published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health:  ”Transforming endometriosis care: lessons from the FEMaLe Project”. The paper reflects on interdisciplinary innovation, machine learning in diagnostics, patient engagement and the broader European policy implications for women's health research and care pathways.  

FEMaLe acts as a powerful reminder of how EU funding can continue to benefit the health and wellbeing of European citizens beyond the duration of the project. The project has become part of a wider national and European movement bringing a shift in how endometriosis (and women's health more broadly) is understood, funded and prioritised.  

Related links 

FEMaLe on Cordis 

Endometriosis - WHO 

Peer-reviewed publications by the project 

The genetic basis of endometriosis and comorbidity with other pain and inflammatory conditions 

FEMaLe: The use of machine learning for early diagnosis of endometriosis based on patient self-reported data - Study protocol of a multicenter trial 

Endometriosis: time to think differently (and together) 

Consensus on Symptom Selection for Endometriosis Questionnaires: A Modified e‐Delphi Study 

Understanding endometriosis underfunding and its detrimental impact on awareness and research 

Psychological interventions improve quality of life despite persistent pain in endometriosis: results of a 3-armed randomized controlled trial 

The lived experiences of endometriosis in adolescence—A critical hermeneutic perspective 

Background  

Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases.  Horizon 2020 was the predecessor of Horizon Europe, and it ran from 2014 to 2020. HaDEA manages the legacy Horizon 2020 projects to ensure the completion of this framework programme and supports the auditing process of the finished projects.