BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a gynecological disease that mainly affects women of reproductive age worldwide. It imposes clinical and economic burden on patients, their families and the society as a whole. Limited knowledge of the signs and symptoms of endometriosis may contribute to the delay in diagnosis of the disease, which may increase treatment costs and reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. As such, information about individuals' preferences for early diagnosis of endometriosis is required in order to develop interventions that will reduce the risk of more serious illness. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this research to elicit individuals' preferences and assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for early diagnosis of endometriosis in order to reduce risk of adverse outcomes. METHODS: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was designed to elicit women's preferences and WTP for early diagnosis of endometriosis. The attributes (and levels) considered to describe hypothetical scenarios included diagnosis (immediate/postponed), chance of advanced endometriosis and more serious illness (low/high), time away from living and professional activities (8 days, 15 days, 22 days and 30 days), and possible out-of-pocket costs ($0, $15, $60 and $210). A pre-test/pilot study was conducted to refine the DCE instrument. Women 18 years or older were eligible to participate in the study. Participants were identified from local health clinics and other group settings in Florida. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. A mixed logit model was used to analyze the effects of the individual attributes on elicited preferences or choice and estimate the WTP. The effects of participants' characteristics on the preference for early diagnosis were modeled using a Tobit model. RESULTS: A total of 66 women with (2) or at-risk (64) of endometriosis completed the experiment. As expected, respondents preferred scenarios with lower risk and out of pocket costs. They also preferred to spend less time away from work, education, and other daily living activities. However, they preferred to put off diagnosis for a later time. While respondents preferred lower out of pocket costs, they were willing to give up some out-of-pocket costs in order to avoid the risk adverse outcomes. The respondents' age and insurance statuses significantly influenced their preference or choice for early diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The results of this exploratory DCE suggest that preferences for treatment attributes for endometriosis vary widely. This highlights the importance of accounting for individual preferences in order to improve decision-making for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.