Ayurveda – the gateway to targeted prevention of endometriosisFlood, Deirdre (Avtor) Marković, Gordana (Mentor) endometriosisrisk factorsAyurvedaprakritiholistic approachIntroduction: Endometriosis is a chronic disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no known prevention or cure. There are conflicting views and an overall lack of holistic research into the root cause factors of endometriosis. This research aims to uncover specific root cause factors that individually or in combination contribute to the initiation and progression of the disease, and if certain constitutions are more susceptible than others. Methods: The research was a retrospective questionnaire driven study. The same questionnaire was administered to two groups: experimental group and control group. Quantitative data analysis was undertaken to examine the association between the development of endometriosis and constitution, exposure to certain risk factors, stress levels, reproductive hormone therapy, and exposure to emotional trauma. Results: This study’s primary findings were that the Vata/Pitta body/mind constitution (prakriti) is most susceptible to developing endometriosis, and that increased exposure to some welldefined risk factors, through an ayurvedic medicine lens, in aggregate, significantly increase the risk of developing endometriosis. Conclusions: Ayurveda can play a key role in the prevention and treatment of endometriosis. The ayurvedic lens on risk factors is effective at getting to the root cause of disease. The ayurvedic understanding of the variance in mind/body constitution, known as prakriti, and how that impacts an individual’s susceptibility to disease facilitates a targeted prevention and treatment strategy.D. Flood20252026-05-14 15:30:05Magistrsko delo/naloga13819UDK: 615.8(540)(043.5)COBISS_ID: 278205443sl