Iowa
Endometriosis care in Iowa
PelviQuest does not yet have a bookable specialist in Iowa. Iowa City serves the whole state; Omaha and Minneapolis are the nearest alternatives.
Iowa has about 3.2 million residents, including about 702,000 women aged 15 to 49 (Census ACS); at the WHO prevalence of about 10% that is roughly 70,000 living with endometriosis, most of them undiagnosed.
Order-of-magnitude estimate: Census ACS women aged 15 to 49, WHO prevalence about 10%.
Not sure a specialist is the next step? Try the endometriosis quiz or read how endometriosis is diagnosed.
Endometriosis care in Iowa: the facts that matter
The largest metro areas in Iowa are Omaha, Des Moines and Davenport. Iowa has expanded Medicaid under the ACA (KFF). State programs and clinics: Iowa health department, women's health (opens in new tab). Iowa City is about 230 air miles from Omaha and about 250 from Minneapolis, the distances behind the usual out-of-state referrals.
Facts checked 2026-10-13. Sources: data.census.gov, api.census.gov, en.wikipedia.org, hhs.iowa.gov, kff.org, kff.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org.
Specialist endometriosis care in Iowa
University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City, home of the state's public medical school, lists surgery for endometriosis under its gynecology care along with a pelvic floor physical therapy service and a vulvar care program, but it does not name a separate endometriosis or minimally invasive gynecologic surgery program. No Iowa site appears on the AAGL Complex Benign Gynecology Fellowship listing.
Iowa City sits in the east, which matters for a wide state. Des Moines is about 110 air miles away and Davenport about 50, but Sioux City is about 260 from Iowa City and only 90 from Omaha, so western Iowa often uses Nebraska. The March of Dimes 2023 state report classified 33.3 percent of Iowa counties as maternity care deserts, where 11.3 percent of the state's babies were born; 14.0 percent of women had no birthing hospital within 30 minutes, women in desert counties traveled 3.0 times farther than those with full access, and the number of birthing hospitals fell 6.7 percent between 2019 and 2020.
Iowa adopted Medicaid expansion, per KFF's October 2026 status table. Iowa Health and Human Services keeps a family health page listing state programs.
Checked 2026-10-13. Sources: uihc.org, aagl.org, marchofdimes.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, kff.org, hhs.iowa.gov.
Where specialist gynecology is concentrated in Iowa
Most excision surgeons train and practice at or near academic centers. In Iowa:
- University of Iowa Health Care (Iowa City)
Across the state line: Mayo Clinic (Rochester) in Minnesota, UW Health (Madison) in Wisconsin, Northwestern Medicine (Chicago) in Illinois and Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis) in Missouri.
Named for where gynecologic surgery is concentrated, not as programs we have assessed.
Travelling for care from Iowa
Iowa borders Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota, and a specialist across the state line is often closer than one across the state.
Questions from Iowa
- Does PelviQuest have an endometriosis specialist in Iowa?
- Not yet. Physicians join state by state; when one joins in Iowa, this page and the app will show it.
- Can I use PelviQuest in Iowa?
- Yes. The questionnaire, trackers, insights and report work in every state; bring the report to any gynecologist.
- Where do most Iowa patients end up for endometriosis surgery?
- Usually at or near University of Iowa Health Care, or with a private excision surgeon trained there. Physicians who treat endometriosis in Iowa can join the network.
Six things to check before choosing a surgeon in Iowa
excision experience, clinical diagnosis, not surgery first, pelvic nerve and pelvic floor care, imaging read by experienced hands, a team around the surgeon, time and follow-up. The questions behind each point are on the specialist directory page.
Neighboring states
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