Serum Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Endometriosis

Hopeman MM, Margaret M Hopeman, Joan K Riley, Riley JK, Antonina I Frolova, Jiang H, Hui Jiang, Jungheim ES, Emily S Jungheim
Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2014 · vol. 22(9) , pp. 1083–1087 · doi:10.1177/1933719114565030 · PMID:25539770 · PMC5933167 · W2092315414
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06+body, 2026-06-17 ⓘ

This study found that women with higher serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels were less likely to have endometriosis compared to those with low EPA levels.

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

This cross-sectional study measured circulating polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum from 205 women undergoing in vitro fertilization and related specific and total n-3 and n-6 PUFA levels to clinical history of endometriosis using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry and multivariable logistic regression. Women with high serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) had lower odds of having endometriosis than women with low EPA (odds ratio 0.18, 95% confidence interval 0.04–0.78). The paper’s main limitation is its cross-sectional design, which cannot establish temporality or causality between serum PUFA levels and endometriosis status. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it tests whether serum n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles, especially EPA, are associated with endometriosis in IVF patients.

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Abstract

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are fatty acids containing 2 or more double bonds, and they are classified by the location of the last double bond. Omega 3 (n-3) and omega 6 (n-6) PUFAs are obtained through food sources including fatty fish and seed/vegetable oils, respectively, and they are important to a number of physiologic processes including inflammation. Previous work demonstrates suppressive effects of n-3 PUFAs on endometriotic lesions in animal models and decreased risk of endometriosis among women with high n-3 PUFA intake. Thus, we sought to determine the relationship between circulating levels of PUFAs and endometriosis in women. To do this, we performed a cross-sectional study of serum PUFAs and clinical data from 205 women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Serum PUFAs were measured using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectroscopy and included n-3 PUFAs such as α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid and n-6 PUFAs such as linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine relationships between specific and total serum PUFAs and patient history of endometriosis. Women with high serum EPA levels were 82% less likely to have endometriosis compared to women with low EPA levels (odds ratio = 0.18, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.78).
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Abstract

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are fatty acids containing 2 or more double bonds, and they are classified by the location of the last double bond. Omega 3 (n-3) and omega 6 (n-6) PUFAs are obtained through food sources including fatty fish and seed/vegetable oils, respectively, and they are important to a number of physiologic processes including inflammation. Previous work demonstrates suppressive effects of n-3 PUFAs on endometriotic lesions in animal models and decreased risk of endometriosis among women with high n-3 PUFA intake. Thus, we sought to determine the relationship between circulating levels of PUFAs and endometriosis in women. To do this, we performed a cross-sectional study of serum PUFAs and clinical data from 205 women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Serum PUFAs were measured using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectroscopy and included n-3 PUFAs such as α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid and n-6 PUFAs such as linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine relationships between specific and total serum PUFAs and patient history of endometriosis. Women with high serum EPA levels were 82% less likely to have endometriosis compared to women with low EPA levels (odds ratio = 0.18, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.78). 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

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Eicosapentaenoic Acid Endometriosis Fatty Acids, Omega-6 Adult Biomarkers Biomarkers Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid Cross-Sectional Studies Eicosapentaenoic Acid Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Fatty Acids, Omega-6 Female Humans Logistic Models Multivariate Analysis Prognosis Protective Factors Risk Factors

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