Epidemiological characteristics in women with and without endometriosis in the Yale series

Ioannis M Matalliotakis, Ioannis Matalliotakis, Matalliotakis IM, Hakan Çakmak, Hakan Cakmak, Cakmak H, Yvoni G Fragouli, Fragouli YG, Yvoni Fragouli, Goumenou AG, Anastasia G Goumenou, Neal G Mahutte, Mahutte NG, Neal Mahutte, Aydin Arici, Arici A, Aydın Arıcı
Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2007 · vol. 277(5) , pp. 389–393 · doi:10.1007/s00404-007-0479-1 · PMID:17922285 · W2085322970
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 141 in-corpus citations
Full text JSON View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06+body, 2026-06-12 ⓘ

This retrospective case-control study analyzed demographic, menstrual, reproductive, and clinical factors in women with and without endometriosis, finding associations with lower body weight, alcohol use, early menarche, shorter cycles, heavier menses, and a family history of cancer.

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

⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 · read from full text ⓘ

This retrospective case-control study analyzed associations between demographic factors, menstrual/reproductive history, and clinical characteristics among 535 women with laparoscopically or laparotomically confirmed endometriosis and 200 infertile women without endometriosis, using uniformly collected medical-record data and χ² and Mann–Whitney U tests. Women with endometriosis had lower body weight, reported alcohol use more often, showed earlier menarche, shorter cycle length, and heavier menstrual cycles, and experienced pelvic pain (79.1%), dysmenorrhea (70.2%), and dyspareunia (49.5%) at significantly higher frequencies than controls (P < 0.001). Compared with women seeking infertility care without endometriosis, the endometriosis group reported fewer prior pregnancies and fewer elective and ectopic pregnancies, and they were more likely to report a family history of cancer (χ² = 78.2; P < 0.001). The study was limited by its retrospective design and reliance on existing records for exposure and symptom information. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it characterizes epidemiologic and clinical differences between women with and without endometriosis in the Yale series.

Read from the paper's body, not the abstract. Not a substitute for reading the paper. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

ObjectiveThe association between demographic factors, menstrual and reproductive characteristics, and clinical profile for women with endometriosis was analyzed in a retrospective case-control study.MethodsOver a 6-year period, 535 women with endometriosis and 200 infertile women without endometriosis, studied by laparoscopy or laparotomy, were evaluated. Information was then collected in a uniform manner from the patients' medical records. Statistical methods included chi(2) and Mann-Whitney U test.ResultsThe factors associated with an increased risk for endometriosis include lower body weight, alcohol use (chi(2) = 8.8; P < 0.003), early menarche (chi(2) = 5.08; P < 0.024), shorter cycle length (chi(2) = 13.06; P < 0.001), and heavier menstrual cycles. Pelvic pain was present in 79.1% of women with endometriosis, dysmenorrhea in 70.2%, and dyspareunia in 49.5%. These symptoms were statistically significantly higher in comparison with the infertile women without endometriosis (P < 0.001). Moreover, we found that women with endometriosis had fewer prior pregnancies, elective abortions and ectopic pregnancies compared to women seeking care for infertility, who did not have endometriosis. Interestingly, women with endometriosis were significantly more likely to report a family history of cancer compared to women in control group (chi(2) = 78.2; P < 0.001).ConclusionsBody habitus, personal habits and menstrual characteristics are all strongly associated with the development of endometriosis. There may also be an association between family history of cancer and the development of endometriosis.
Full text 7,212 characters · extracted from oa-doi-fallback · 5 sections · click to expand

Abstract

Objective The association between demographic factors, menstrual and reproductive characteristics, and clinical profile for women with endometriosis was analyzed in a retrospective case-control study.

Methods

Over a 6-year period, 535 women with endometriosis and 200 infertile women without endometriosis, studied by laparoscopy or laparotomy, were evaluated. Information was then collected in a uniform manner from the patients’ medical records. Statistical methods included χ 2 and Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

The factors associated with an increased risk for endometriosis include lower body weight, alcohol use (χ 2 = 8.8; P < 0.003), early menarche (χ 2 = 5.08; P < 0.024), shorter cycle length (χ 2 = 13.06; P < 0.001), and heavier menstrual cycles. Pelvic pain was present in 79.1% of women with endometriosis, dysmenorrhea in 70.2%, and dyspareunia in 49.5%. These symptoms were statistically significantly higher in comparison with the infertile women without endometriosis (P < 0.001). Moreover, we found that women with endometriosis had fewer prior pregnancies, elective abortions and ectopic pregnancies compared to women seeking care for infertility, who did not have endometriosis. Interestingly, women with endometriosis were significantly more likely to report a family history of cancer compared to women in control group (χ 2 = 78.2; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Body habitus, personal habits and menstrual characteristics are all strongly associated with the development of endometriosis. There may also be an association between family history of cancer and the development of endometriosis. Access this article We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly. Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem. Similar content being viewed by others

References

Ballwey ML (1999) The endometriosis sourcebook. The Endometriosis Association, Milwaukee Candiani GB, Vercellini P, Fedele L, Colombo A, Candiani M (1991) Mild endometriosis and infertility: a critical review of epidemiologic data, diagnostic pitfalls, and classification limits. Obstet Gynecol Surv 46:374–382 Modugno F, Ness RB, Allen GO, Schildkraut JM, Davis FG, Goodman MT (2004) Oral contraceptive use, reproductive history, and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in women with and without endometriosis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 191:733–740 Olive DL, Schwartz LB (1993) Endometriosis. N Engl J Med 328:1759–1769 Sangi-Haghpeykar H, Poindexter AN III (1995) Epidemiology of endometriosis among parous women. Obstet Gynecol 85:983–992 Stefansson H, Geirsson RT, Steinthorsdottir V, Jonsson H, Manolescu A, Kong A et al (2002) Genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing endometriosis. Hum Reprod 17:555–559 Vigano P, Parazzini F, Somigliana E, Vercellini P (2004) Endometriosis: epidemiology and aetiological factors. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 18:177–200 Cramer DW, Wilson E, Stillman RJ, Berger MJ, Belisle S, Schiff I et al (1986) The relation of endometriosis to menstrual characteristics, smoking, and exercise. JAMA 255:1904–1908 Hemmings R, Rivard M, Olive DL, Poliquin-Fleury J, Gagne D, Hugo P et al (2004) Evaluation of risk factors associated with endometriosis. Fertil Steril 81:1513–1521 Hornstein MD, Thomas PP, Sober AJ, Wyshak G, Albright NL, Frisch RE (1997) Association between endometriosis, dysplastic naevi and history of melanoma in women of reproductive age. Hum Reprod 12:143–145 Kuohung W, Jones GL, Vitonis AF, Cramer DW, Kennedy SH, Thomas D et al (2002) Characteristics of patients with endometriosis in the United States and the United Kingdom. Fertil Steril 78:767–772 Vercellini P, De Giorgi O, Aimi G, Panazza S, Uglietti A, Crosignani PG (1997) Menstrual characteristics in women with and without endometriosis. Obstet Gynecol 90:264–268 DePriest PD, Banks ER, Powell DE, van Nagell JR Jr, Gallion HH, Puls LE et al (1992) Endometrioid carcinoma of the ovary and endometriosis: the association in postmenopausal women. Gynecol Oncol 47:71–75 Komiyama S, Aoki D, Tominaga E, Susumu N, Udagawa Y, Nozawa S (1999) Prognosis of Japanese patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma associated with pelvic endometriosis: clinicopathologic evaluation. Gynecol Oncol 72:342–346 Leiserowitz GS, Gumbs JL, Oi R, Dalrymple JL, Smith LH, Ryu J et al (2003) Endometriosis-related malignancies. Int J Gynecol Cancer 13:466–471 Oral E, Ilvan S, Tustas E, Korbeyli B, Bese T, Demirkiran F et al (2003) Prevalence of endometriosis in malignant epithelial ovary tumours. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 109:97–101 Revised American Fertility Society Classification of Endometriosis (1985) Fertil Steril 43:351–352 Missmer SA, Cramer DW (2003) The epidemiology of endometriosis. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 30:1–19 Signorello LB, Harlow BL, Cramer DW, Spiegelman D, Hill JA (1997) Epidemiologic determinants of endometriosis: a hospital-based case-control study. Ann Epidemiol 7:267–741 Moen MH, Schei B (1997) Epidemiology of endometriosis in a Norwegian county. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 76:559–562 Cramer DW, Missmer SA (2002) The epidemiology of endometriosis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 955:11–22. discussion 34–36, 396–406 Houston DE (1984) Evidence for the risk of pelvic endometriosis by age, race and socioeconomic status. Epidemiol Rev 6:167–191 Grodstein F, Goldman MB, Cramer DW (1994) Infertility in women and moderate alcohol use. Am J Public Health 84:1429–1432 Reichman ME, Judd JT, Longcope C, Schatzkin A, Clevidence BA, Nair PP et al (1993) Effects of alcohol consumption on plasma and urinary hormone concentrations in premenopausal women. J Natl Cancer Inst 85:722–727 Groll M (1984) Endometriosis and spontaneous abortion. Fertil Steril 41:933–935 Petersohn L (1970) Fertility in patients with ovarian endometriosis before and after treatment. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 49:331–333 Devereux WP (1963) Endometriosis: long-term observation, with particular reference to incidence of pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 22:444–450 Matorras R, Rodriguez F, Gutierrez de Teran G, Pijoan JI, Ramon O, Rodriguez-Escudero FJ (1998) Endometriosis and spontaneous abortion rate: a cohort study in infertile women. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 77:101–105 Brinton LA, Gridley G, Persson I, Baron J, Bergqvist A (1997) Cancer risk after a hospital discharge diagnosis of endometriosis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 176:572–579 Eskenazi B, Warner ML (1997) Epidemiology of endometriosis. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 24:235–258 Vessey MP, Villard-Mackintosh L, Painter R (1993) Epidemiology of endometriosis in women attending family planning clinics. BMJ 306:182–184 Acknowledgments We thank the staff of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, who performed these operations. Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Matalliotakis, I.M., Cakmak, H., Fragouli, Y.G. et al. Epidemiological characteristics in women with and without endometriosis in the Yale series. Arch Gynecol Obstet 277, 389–393 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-007-0479-1 Received: Accepted: Published: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-007-0479-1

Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below. Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy (via DOI) is the canonical version.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

⚙ Ask this paper AI returns verbatim quotes from the full text · source: oa-doi-fallback ⓘ

Answers must be backed by verbatim quotes from this paper's full text. Hallucinated quotes are dropped automatically; if no verbatim passage answers the question, we say so. How this works

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Adolescent Adult Alcohol Drinking Body Mass Index Case-Control Studies Cohort Studies Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Laparoscopy Menstruation Disturbances Menstruation Disturbances Middle Aged Reproductive History 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.

References (32)

Cited by (50)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-07-26T06:08:39.051465+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:14:48.452140+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK