The prevalence of endometriosis in unexplained infertility: a systematic review

Hanne Van Gestel, Celine Bafort, Céline Bafort, Christel Meuleman, Carla Tomassetti, Arne Vanhie
Reproductive biomedicine online · 2024 · vol. 49(3) , pp. 103848 · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2024.103848 · PMID:38943813 · W4391484706
review OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 10 in-corpus citations
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This systematic review examines the prevalence of endometriosis among women experiencing unexplained infertility.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

In 15-30% of couples with infertility, no abnormalities are found after the initial diagnostic work-up. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of endometriosis in patients with unexplained infertility undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy in the current era of improved imaging and assisted reproductive technology. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central was conducted to identify all studies reporting on pelvic pathologies found by laparoscopy in couples diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Normal ovulatory cycles, normal semen analysis and an infertility period of ≥12 months were the minimum requirements for a study population to be included. The prevalence of endometriosis was 44%, and most lesions were classified as minimal or mild (74%). The prevalence rates of tubal factors and adhesions were 20% and 16%, respectively. The detection rate for pelvic abnormalities was higher in women with prior fertility treatment (75%) compared with women without prior fertility treatment (53%). Despite the significant improvements in imaging for the diagnosis of endometriosis and tubal factors over the last decades, the prevalence rates of endometriosis and tubal abnormalities remain high in patients with unexplained infertility. The high prevalence of endometriosis in this population is important for decision-making in patients who also suffer from pain symptoms suggestive of endometriosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (38)

Cited by (10)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-15T06:13:43.845377+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-06-12T06:11:42.308292+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK