Endometriosis and Body Fat Distribution

S E McCann, McCann SE, Susan E. McCann, Freudenheim JL, J L Freudenheim, Jo L. Freudenheim, S L Darrow, Sherri L. Darrow, Darrow SL, Batt Re, R E Batt, Ronald E. Batt, M A Zielezny, Maria Zielezny, Zielezny MA
Obstetrics and gynecology · 1993 · vol. 82(4) , pp. 545–549 · doi:10.1097/00006250-199310000-00014 · PMID:8377980 · W2034456265
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 47 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This case-control study found that among women under 30, a lower waist-to-hip and waist-to-thigh ratio was associated with a higher risk of endometriosis.

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This case-control study investigated the association between body fat distribution and endometriosis risk by comparing 88 laparoscopically confirmed cases with 88 age-matched controls. The researchers utilized logistic regression to analyze waist-to-hip and waist-to-thigh ratios, finding that women under thirty with endometriosis had significantly lower ratios compared to controls. This inverse relationship was not observed in participants aged thirty or older, indicating an age-dependent effect on somatotype. This paper is centrally about endometriosis, specifically examining how peripheral body fat distribution differs in affected women under thirty years of age.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of body fat distribution with risk of endometriosis in an effort to determine whether a specific somatotype is related to the disease. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of 88 laparoscopically confirmed cases of endometriosis, identified in a specialty gynecologic practice in western New York, and 88 age-matched friend controls. Data were collected by standardized personal interview, and body measurements were taken in a standardized fashion by one interviewer. Risk of endometriosis associated with body fat distribution, as expressed by waist-to-hip and waist-to-thigh ratios, was assessed using logistic regression. RESULTS: For women under 30 years of age (45 cases, 46 controls), endometriosis was inversely related to both waist-to-hip ratio (odds ratio 6.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.01-19.01) and waist-to-thigh ratio (odds ratio 3.64, 95% CI 1.23-10.78). This effect was not evident among women aged 30 years and older (43 cases, 42 controls). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a specific somatotype with a predominance of peripheral body fat among women with endometriosis. This finding may provide information useful in both the diagnosis and understanding of the disease etiology.
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Objective

To examine the association of body fat distribution with risk of endometriosis in an effort to determine whether a specific somatotype is related to the disease.

Methods

We conducted a case-control study of 88 laparoscopically confirmed cases of endometriosis, identified in a specialty gynecologic practice in western New York, and 88 age-matched friend controls. Data were collected by standardized personal interview, and body measurements were taken in a standardized fashion by one interviewer. Risk of endometriosis associated with body fat distribution, as expressed by waist-to-hip and waist-to-thigh ratios, was assessed using logistic regression.

Results

For women under 30 years of age (45 cases, 46 controls), endometriosis was inversely related to both waist-to-hip ratio (odds ratio 6.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.01-19.01) and waist-to-thigh ratio (odds ratio 3.64, 95% CI 1.23-10.78). This effect was not evident among women aged 30 years and older (43 cases, 42 controls).

Conclusion

Our results suggest a specific somatotype with a predominance of peripheral body fat among women with endometriosis. This finding may provide information useful in both the diagnosis and understanding of the disease etiology.(Obstet Gynecol 1993;82:545-9)

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Adipose Tissue Endometriosis Somatotypes Adipose Tissue Adult Anthropometry Case-Control Studies Endometriosis Female Humans Logistic Models Middle Aged Risk Factors

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.

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