Detection of activin A and follistatin as potential biomarkers in women with ovarian endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition characterized by the growth of tissue similar to the uterine lining outside the uterus. This study aimed to evaluate certain sex hormones and determine the levels of activin A and follistatin in women with endometriosis. The study included 45 women with ovarian endometriosis and 45 healthy women as a control group. Hormone levels were measured using a VIDAS analyzer (bioMérieux, France), while activin A and follistatin levels were estimated using ELISA (BT LAB). The baseline characteristics (age, weight, BMI, WHR, WHtR, education, and residency) of the patients were comparable to those in controls (P > 0.05). Similarly, there was no difference in LH and prolactin levels (P > 0.05). Patients with endometriosis had significantly higher FSH (7.17 ± 1.76 vs. 5.99 ± 2.22, P = 0.010) and estradiol levels (136.67 ± 27.27 vs. 57.84 ± 15.16, P < 0.001), while progesterone (0.35 ± 0.11 vs. 0.44 ± 0.16, P = 0.045), testosterone [0.69 (0.45-0.82) vs. 0.81 (0.73-0.88), P = 0.001], and AMH [0.24 (0.15-0.36) vs. 4.08 (2.42-7.34), P = 0.001] were significantly lower. Activin A [11.24 (11.02-11.81) vs. 1.26 (1.02-2.11), P < 0.001] and follistatin [23.36 (19.53-46.86) vs. 12.40 (8.81-18.93), P < 0.001] were markedly elevated in patients compared to controls. The results for Activin A and Follistatin also showed a significant increase, indicating their potential use as promising biomarkers in the diagnosis of endometriosis.