Risk for and consequences of endometriosis: A critical epidemiologic review

A L Shafrir, Shafrir AL, L V Farland, Leslie V. Farland, D K Shah, Shah DK, Harris HR, H R Harris, M Kvaskoff, Marina Kvaskoff, Krina T. Zondervan, K Zondervan, S A Missmer, Missmer SA
Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology · 2018 · vol. 51 , pp. 1–15 · doi:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2018.06.001 · PMID:30017581
Review OA: closed public-domain-us ⤵ 2 in-corpus citations
View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-13 ⓘ

This review critically examines epidemiologic data on endometriosis risk factors and consequences, highlighting methodological challenges in case definition, control selection, and bias to advance understanding.

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

Abstract

Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age. Characteristics robustly associated with a greater risk for endometriosis include early age at menarche, short menstrual cycle length, and lean body size, whereas greater parity has been associated with a lower risk. Relationships with other potential characteristics including physical activity, dietary factors, and lactation have been less consistent, partially because of the need for rigorous data collection and a longitudinal study design. Critical methodologic complexities include the need for a clear case definition; valid selection of comparison/control groups; and consideration of diagnostic bias and reverse causation when exploring demographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle factors. Reviewers and editors must demand a detailed description of rigorous methods to facilitate comparison and replication to advance our understanding of endometriosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Age Factors Age Factors Case-Control Studies Case-Control Studies Comorbidity Comorbidity Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Female Humans Humans Incidence Incidence Longitudinal Studies Longitudinal Studies Menstrual Cycle

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

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. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

Cited by (7)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-10-19T06:17:24.038039+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-10-08T21:22:34.444095+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-05-14T19:30:52.867331+00:00
License: public-domain-us · commercial use OK · attribution required
Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine