Endometriosis may be linked to a reduction in live births before diagnosis of the condition, research suggests. According to the study, the disease is associated with a reduction in fertility in the years before a definitive surgical diagnosis.
Researchers suggest the possible effect of endometriosis on the desired number of children highlights the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. In the first study to look at birth rates in a large group of women who eventually received a surgical verification of the condition, researchers found the number of first live births in the period before diagnosis was half that of women without the painful condition.
This was the case regardless of what form of endometriosis the women had – ovarian, peritoneal, deep endometriosis or other types. In addition, researchers found evidence the number of babies women had before diagnosis was significantly reduced, compared with women who did not have the chronic inflammatory condition that affects up to about one in 10 women of child-bearing age.
