Intrauterine exposures and risk of endometriosis

Germaine M Buck Louis, Mary L Hediger, M L Hediger, J. B. Pena, Josefa B Peña
Human Reproduction · 2007 · vol. 22(12) , pp. 3232–3236 · doi:10.1093/humrep/dem338 · PMID:17956923 · W2172113076
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 51 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study investigated intrauterine exposures and found that in utero cigarette exposure may be associated with a lower risk of surgically diagnosed adult-onset endometriosis.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine environmental exposures have been adversely associated with male reproductive health in contrast to limited investigation of such exposures and female reproductive health. METHODS: To address this research gap, a cohort comprising 84 women aged 18-40 years undergoing laparoscopy was recruited prior to surgery and followed through the post-operative period for endometriosis diagnosis. Women were interviewed about environmental exposures and those of their mothers while pregnant with them (use of alcohol, caffeinated beverages and cigarettes). Endometriosis was diagnosed in 32 women from the laparoscopy cohort; 52 women had no endometriosis visualized. Using unconditional logistic regression, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the intrauterine exposures adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: No significant associations were seen between intrauterine exposure to alcohol or caffeine and a diagnosis of endometriosis. Adjusting for age, significant reductions in odds of an endometriosis diagnosis were observed for intrauterine cigarette exposure both in the absence (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.82) or presence (OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01-0.42) of women's current smoking. CONCLUSIONS: While speculative, in utero cigarette exposure may be associated with a lower risk of surgically diagnosed adult-onset endometriosis, possibly as a result of alterations in hormonal milieu or pathologic angiogensis.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Maternal Exposure Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects Adolescent Adult Alcohol Drinking Alcohol Drinking Caffeine Caffeine Cimicifuga Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Laparoscopy Maternal Exposure Pregnancy Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects Risk Factors Severity of Illness Index

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