{"paper_id":"58ed9c8e-3979-4b3f-a329-168aa614114f","body_text":"Abstract\nEndometriosis is a chronic oestrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder that affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and is frequently accompanied by gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Despite this overlap, gastric mucosal histopathology in this population has not been systematically investigated. In this retrospective case–control study conducted between June 2022 and December 2023, 28 women with laparoscopically or radiologically confirmed endometriosis and 41 controls with similar GI symptoms underwent upper GI endoscopy with biopsy. Demographic data, laboratory results (CRP and tumour markers), and histopathological findings were assessed. Statistical analyses included t-test, Mann–Whitney U, chi-square, and correlation analyses. Women with endometriosis had significantly higher CRP (4.79 vs. 1.98 mg/L, p = 0.022) and CA19-9 [median (IQR): 11.35 (8.75–17.14) vs. 6.77 (4.34–9.25) U/mL, p = 0.033] levels compared with controls. Gastric mucosal atrophy was more prevalent in the endometriosis group (25.0% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.013), while Helicobacter pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia did not differ. Endometriosis correlated positively with CA19-9 and gastric atrophy. Endometriosis is associated with systemic inflammatory alterations and an increased prevalence of gastric mucosal atrophy. These findings suggest extra-pelvic GI involvement and support multidisciplinary management of affected women. 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All authors reviewed and verified the content for accuracy and accept full responsibility for the final version.\nFunding\nThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.\nAuthor information\nAuthors and Affiliations\nContributions\nAykut Özturan (first and corresponding author): Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft.\nGökhan Aydın: Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Writing – review & editing.\nSefer Aslan: Investigation, Clinical data collection, Writing – review & editing.\nErsin Kuloğlu: Investigation, Histopathological evaluation, Data interpretation.\nKubilay İşsever: Formal analysis, Statistical analysis, Validation, Writing – review & editing.\nAhmet Cumhur Dülger (senior author): Supervision, Project administration, Critical revision of the manuscript, Final approval of the version to be published.\nCorresponding author\nEthics declarations\nCompeting Interests\nThe authors declare no conflicts of interest.\nAdditional information\nPublisher's Note\nSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.\nRights and permissions\nSpringer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.\nAbout this article\nCite this article\nÖzturan, A., Aydin, G., Aslan, S. et al. Gastric Mucosal Atrophy and Serum Biomarker Alterations in Women with Endometriosis: A Case-Control Study. Reprod. Sci. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-026-02098-4\nReceived:\nAccepted:\nPublished:\nVersion of record:\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-026-02098-4","source_license":"public-domain-us","license_restricted":false}