Clinical symptoms and diagnostic tools that are related to infertility and hydrosalpinx formation in women with advanced stage endometriosis complicated by endometrioma

OBJECTIVES: The study included patients suffering from stage III-IV endometriosis complicated by an endometrioma (OMA). We investigated the association between age, presence of dysmenorrhea/dyspareunia, preoperative CA 125 level, size of OMA on ultrasonographic exam and infertility as well as the risk of intraoperative detection of hydrosalpinx that was not suspected on pre-operative assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included patients with stage III-IV endometriosis complicated by OMA who underwent a laparoscopic or open surgery due to pre-diagnosis of infertility or adnexal mass. RESULTS: Dysmenorrhea had statistically significant association with infertility (p=0.031). There was no statistically significant relation between age, dyspareunia, preoperative CA 125 level, size of OMA on ultrasonographic exam and infertility (p=0.203, p=0.561, p=0.561 and p=0.668, respectively). No statistically significant relation was found between age, CA 125 level, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and detection of an unilateral/bilateral hydrosalpinx, that was not suspected on pre-operative assessment (p=0.179, p=0.295, p=0.895, p=0.424, respectively). There was an association between OMA size (p=0.023) and detection of unilateral/bilateral hydrosalpinx. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who desire to have children but suffer from severe dysmenorrhea must be preoperatively informed about the possibility of having stage III-IV endometriosis. Infertile patients who are about to undergo an operation, especially due to a large OMA, may turn out to have hydrosalpinx. These patients should be informed preoperatively about the possibility of having salpingectomy or the proximal tubal surgery for improving fertility.