SpeakENDO Commercial Nabs Julianne Hough for Endometriosis Disease Awareness

Actress and dancer Julianne Hough is being featured in AbbVie’s SpeakENDO commercial during the month of March, which is Endometriosis Awareness Month. In addition to raising awareness, the campaign is also designed to help women with endometriosis speak up about their symptoms when talking to their healthcare provider.

Patients are encouraged to use the #SpeakENDO hashtag when sharing their experiences with endometriosis on social media. Like the SpeakENDO commercial featuring Hough, women can also post an inspiring video of themselves to help spread awareness of endometriosis.

“I have endometriosis and for the past year, I’ve been speaking out to encourage women to ‘get in the know’ about endometriosis and raise awareness of this chronic and painful disease,” said Hough. “The painful symptoms associated with endometriosis can be hard to explain, but with proper knowledge and empowerment, women can start to ‘speak endo’ to their doctor, family members, boss and friends.”

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Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining starts to grow on the outside of the organ. It affects about one in 10 women during their reproductive years causing pelvic pain both during, and between, periods.

AbbVie has good reasons to promote disease awareness for endometriosis: along with Neurocrine Biosciences, the company is currently developing a drug to treat the condition. Elagolix is being assessed in Phase III clinical trials and the FDA has already granted the drug priority review status last year.

Currently, endometriosis has no cure and available treatments focus on addressing the pain associated with the condition. Oral contraceptives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are among the drugs prescribed to women with endometriosis.

“AbbVie is proud to continue to work with Julianne Hough to educate and help women fully express symptoms of endometriosis,” said Michael Norton, vice president, head of US medical affairs at AbbVie. “It’s important for women to be specific about their endometriosis symptoms when speaking to a healthcare provider, which can be helpful in creating a treatment plan.”