The risk of endometriosis after exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals: a meta-analysis of 30 epidemiology studies
review
OA: closed
CC0
⤵ 31 in-corpus citations
AI-generated summary
This meta-analysis of 30 studies found that exposure to PCBs, OCPs, and PAEs was associated with an increased risk of endometriosis, while BPA showed no significant association.
One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works
Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are suspected to be associated with endometriosis (EMs). This study aimed to synthesize published data and evaluate the relationship between four classic EDCs exposure and the risk of EMs. A systematic literature search for original peer reviewed papers was performed in the databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science based on inclusion criteria up to January 2018. Subsequently, a total of 20 papers conducting 30 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in this meta-analysis (four studies for bisphenol A (BPA), 12 studies for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), eight studies for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and six studies for phthalate esters (PAEs)). The overall odds ratio (OR) across all exposures and EMs was 1.41 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23-1.60). When assessing four specific chemicals, respectively, consistent increases in the risk of EMs were found in PCBs group (OR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.18-2.12), OCPs group (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.02-1.92) and PAEs group (OR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.00-1.60), while BPA showed no significant association with EMs. Besides, in the di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) group - the most commonly used PAEs, significant risk was also found (OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.19-1.70). The current meta-analysis strengthens the evidence that specific EDCs or their metabolites may promote the occurrence of EMs.
My notes (saved in your browser only)
Condition tags
MeSH descriptors
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 (67)
- A case–control study of bisphenol A and endometrioma among subgroup of Iranian women via openalex
- Advanced Stage Endometriosis in Adolescents and Young Women via openalex
- A population-based case–control study of urinary bisphenol A concentrations and risk of endometriosis via openalex
- Association between phthalate exposure and glutathione S-transferase M1 polymorphism in adenomyosis, leiomyoma and endometriosis via openalex
- Association of Exposure to Phthalates with Endometriosis and Uterine Leiomyomata: Findings from NHANES, 1999–2004 via openalex
- Associations between internal exposure levels of persistent organic pollutants in adipose tissue and deep infiltrating endometriosis with or without concurrent ovarian endometrioma via openalex
- Associations between serum levels of selected organochlorine compounds and endometriosis in infertile Japanese women via openalex
- Bisphenol A and phthalates and endometriosis: the Endometriosis: Natural History, Diagnosis and Outcomes Study via openalex
- Endocrine disruptors in utero cause ovarian damages linked to endometriosis via openalex
- Endocrine disruptors in utero cause ovarian damages linked to endometriosis via openalex
- Endometriosis Among Women Exposed to Polybrominated Biphenyls via openalex
- Endometriosis and Organochlorinated Environmental Pollutants: A Case–Control Study on Italian Women of Reproductive Age via openalex
- Environmental PCB exposure and risk of endometriosis via openalex
- Glutathione transferase polymorphisms and risk of endometriosis associated with polychlorinated biphenyls exposure in Italian women: a gene–environment interaction via openalex
- Increased levels of polychlorobiphenyls in Italian women with endometriosis via openalex
- Increased viability of endometrial cells by in vitro treatment with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate via openalex
- Interaction between cytochrome P450 gene polymorphisms and serum organochlorine TEQ levels in the risk of endometriosis via openalex
- Non–Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Risk of Endometriosis via openalex
- Organochlorine exposure and the risk of endometriosis via openalex
- Organochlorine pesticides and endometriosis via openalex
- Organochlorine Pesticides and Risk of Endometriosis: Findings from a Population-Based Case–Control Study via openalex
- Persistent Lipophilic Environmental Chemicals and Endometriosis: The ENDO Study via openalex
- Possible Role of Phthalate in the Pathogenesis of Endometriosis: In Vitro, Animal, and Human Data via openalex
- Pre-natal exposure of mice to bisphenol A elicits an endometriosis-like phenotype in female offspring via openalex
- Promotion of endometriosis in mice by polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls. via openalex
- Risk and prognosis of ovarian cancer in women with endometriosis: a meta-analysis via openalex
- Serum dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and endometriosis: A case-control study in Atlanta via openalex
- The histogenesis of endometriosis via openalex
- The Impact of Endometriosis on Fertility via openalex
- Urinary phthalate monoesters and endometriosis in infertile Japanese women via openalex
- W2081462451 via openalex
- W2081734672 via openalex
- W2083812486 via openalex
- W2085030960 via openalex
- W1982924223 via openalex
- W2094533199 via openalex
- W2095514406 via openalex
- W1980615604 via openalex
- W2108349766 via openalex
- W1977726417 via openalex
- W1972270992 via openalex
- W1966873151 via openalex
- W2135361533 via openalex
- W1965524387 via openalex
- W2147897830 via openalex
- W1443312975 via openalex
- W2199754945 via openalex
- W2205803035 via openalex
- W2256166090 via openalex
- W2256184094 via openalex
- W2259394681 via openalex
- W2422690257 via openalex
- W2431884379 via openalex
- W1054987611 via openalex
- W2596981480 via openalex
- W974687868 via openalex
- W649463998 via openalex
- W2012796535 via openalex
- W6679995449 via openalex
- W2022296959 via openalex
- W2007108099 via openalex
- W2051220993 via openalex
- W2052704162 via openalex
- W1985274289 via openalex
- W2069700706 via openalex
- W2072582373 via openalex
- W1983943459 via openalex
Cited by (32)
- Association between bisphenols A and the risk of endometriosis: results from an updated meta-analysis 2026
- Prediction of endometrial tissue PFAS concentrations using serum levels, demographic, and reproductive factors: Findings from the Investigating Mixtures of Pollutants and Endometriosis in Tissue (IMPLANT) study 2026
- Closing the evidence loop-membrane-lipid homeostasis and vesicular transport link DEHP exposure to endometriosis 2025
- Slippery Knowledge: Ignorance, Ecologies, and Environment in Endometriosis Framing 2025
- Unraveling the Core of Endometriosis: The Impact of Endocrine Disruptors 2025
- Environmental Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants and Its Association with Endometriosis Risk: Implications in the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Process 2024
- Examining the Impact of Environmental Non-Persistent Compounds: Phthalates, BPA, and Benzophenone on Endometriosis 2024
- A review: Exposure to bisphenol a analogues in non-human primates as a potential cause of endometriosis 2024
- Endometriosis as a highly relevant yet neglected gynecologic condition in Asian women 2023
- Recent insights explaining susceptibility to endometriosis-From genetics to environment 2023
- The Role of the Environment in Female Reproductive Disorders 2023
- The Role of the Environment in Female Reproductive Disorders 2023
- Pollution and endometriosis: A deep dive into the environmental impacts on women's health 2023
- Endometriosis, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression: A retrospective study among 12 million women 2023
- Infertilidad asociada a endometriosis. Revisión bibliográfica 2023
- Association of Phthalate Exposure with Endometriosis and Idiopathic Infertility in Egyptian Women 2022
- Endometrial Cells Acutely Exposed to Phthalates In Vitro Do Not Phenocopy Endometriosis 2022
- Risk factors for the development of ovarian endometrioma recurrence after surgical treatment in metropolitan areas 2022
- Unravelling the link between phthalate exposure and endometriosis in humans: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature 2021
- The Role of Peritoneal Macrophages in Endometriosis 2021
- From Environmental to Possible Occupational Exposure to Risk Factors: What Role Do They Play in the Etiology of Endometriosis? 2021
- Environmental Risk Factors for Endometriosis: An Umbrella Review of a Meta-Analysis of 354 Observational Studies With Over 5 Million Populations 2021
- Associations between Exposure to Organochlorine Chemicals and Endometriosis: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies and Integration of Epidemiological Evidence 2021
- The impact of phthalate on reproductive function in women with endometriosis 2021
- Brassica Bioactives Could Ameliorate the Chronic Inflammatory Condition of Endometriosis 2020
- Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products and Risk of Endometriosis 2020
- Endometriosis 2020
- Association of Urinary Levels of Bisphenols A, F, and S with Endometriosis Risk: Preliminary Results of the EndEA Study 2020
- BPA modulates the WDR5/TET2 complex to regulate ERβ expression in eutopic endometrium and drives the development of endometriosis 2020
- Endometriosis-associated Extraovarian Malignancies: A Challenging Question for the Clinician and the Pathologist 2020
- Hypothetical roadmap towards endometriosis: prenatal endocrine-disrupting chemical pollutant exposure, anogenital distance, gut-genital microbiota and subclinical infections 2019
- Association between Phthalate Metabolites and Risk of Endometriosis: A Meta-Analysis 2019
Source provenance
- europepmc
- last seen: 2026-08-27T06:11:05.884134+00:00
- openalex
- last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
- pubmed
- last seen: 2026-05-13T22:22:54.901233+00:00
- unpaywall
- last seen: 2026-08-27T06:26:25.619941+00:00
License: CC0
· commercial use OK