(ARA) – Julianna Mendelsohn spent two years in so much chronic widespread pain that she had trouble meeting with friends, exercising and even had difficulty working. Worst of all, no doctor could figure out what was wrong with her.

Mendelsohn, now 30, suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain and tenderness, decreased physical function and other symptoms. Fibromyalgia affects approximately two to four percent of the U.S. population or up to 12 million Americans, mostly women. A new national survey conducted by HealthyWomen.org reveals that 85 percent of sufferers consider the condition a burden that makes it difficult for them to work, maintain relationships and keep up their households. More than half of sufferers were not properly diagnosed until a year or more after symptoms first appeared, and 64 percent were concerned that their condition is not taken seriously.

Julianna first started feeling the widespread pain and other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia in 2007. It was not only the intensity of the pain that caused her to quit her part-time job and drop one of her graduate classes, it was also the uncertainty of when the pain would recur.

“The pain from fibromyalgia was unexpected,” said Julianna. “I simply did not know how I would feel from one day to the next. There were times when I couldn’t even do the simplest tasks, like raise my arms to wash my hair.”

According to the survey, fibromyalgia can challenge relationships and limit intimacy. Many women spend less quality time with their friends (42 percent) and family (29 percent). Nearly one-third (31 percent) even have trouble being intimate with their partners.

However, like the 91 percent of women in the survey, Julianna felt relieved when her condition was finally diagnosed and she could start a treatment plan, which included an FDA-approved fibromyalgia medication, as well as non-medication therapies.

“I noticed a difference,” she said. “It became easier to get back to my daily routine, including swimming, an activity I had given up because of fibromyalgia.”

“Since being diagnosed and beginning a treatment plan, I try to do as much as possible within my limits because I feel better when I’m active,” she says.

HealthyWomen.org, the nation’s leading independent health information source for women, commissioned Edelman StrategyOne to conduct an online survey among 508 diagnosed, female fibromyalgia sufferers in the U.S. between May 5 and May 11, 2010. The survey was sponsored by Forest Laboratories, Inc.

Results of the Women Expressing Fibromyalgia’s Effects on their Everyday Lives (WE FEEL) survey reveals constructive, concrete ways to help ease suffering, including an earlier diagnosis and access to information and support.

For more information visit FibroTogether.com and HealthyWomen.org.