What was the study asking?
This was a large population-based study that followed 31,239 women over 14 years
to assess if having uterine fibroids (also known as uterine leiomyomas) increases the
risk of endometriosis.
What did they find?
The risk of endometriosis was significantly increased in women with uterine fibroids, tube-ovarian infections, endometritis (inflammation or irritation of the endometrium that lines the uterus), infertility, or allergic diseases.
Having more than one of these conditions together further increased the risk of endometriosis (i.e. uterine fibroids + infertility or uterine fibroids + endometritis).
Tip: symptoms associated with uterine fibroids include:
- abnormal uterine bleeding (heavy menstrual bleeding, periods longer than 7
days, bleeding between periods) - pelvic pain/pressure
- gastrointestinal symptoms (constipation)
- back or leg pain
- urination that is painful or difficult
- anaemia (low red blood cell count)
What is the take-home message?
This study highlights the importance of thorough clinical investigation and assessment when a woman presents with any reproductive symptoms to determine the underlying causes.
