BACKGROUND/AIMS: Perinatal environmental exposure may affect fetal development and reprogram the developing organism for adult-onset disease. In this case-control study, we aimed at assessing this pathogenetic model in endometriosis. METHODS: Consecutive patients with a first laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis were selected as cases. Controls were women who underwent laparoscopy during the same study period, but who were found to be free of the disease. Selected women and their mothers were interviewed. RESULTS: Ninety-one women with endometriosis and 82 controls were selected. Handedness, a variable believed to be determined prenatally by hormonal environment in utero significantly differed between the study groups. Women with the disease were less likely to be left- or mixed-handed (adjusted OR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.71). In contrast, we failed to detect any association with birth order, maternal age, smoking, nausea, weight gain, prematurity, birth weight and breast-feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Our results generally do not support the view that in utero exposure may play a major role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The association with handedness, however, is intriguing in this regard and deserves further investigation.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Perinatal environmental exposure may affect fetal development and reprogram the developing organism for adult-onset disease. In this case-control study, we aimed at assessing this pathogenetic model in endometriosis. METHODS: Consecutive patients with a first laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis were selected as cases. Controls were women who underwent laparoscopy during the same study period, but who were found to be free of the disease. Selected women and their mothers were interviewed. RESULTS: Ninety-one women with endometriosis and 82 controls were selected. Handedness, a variable believed to be determined prenatally by hormonal environment in utero significantly differed between the study groups. Women with the disease were less likely to be left- or mixed-handed (adjusted OR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.71). In contrast, we failed to detect any association with birth order, maternal age, smoking, nausea, weight gain, prematurity, birth weight and breast-feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Our results generally do not support the view that in utero exposure may play a major role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The association with handedness, however, is intriguing in this regard and deserves further investigation.
Authors: Erin Foran Wolff; Liping Sun; Mary L Hediger; Rajeshwari Sundaram; C Matthew Peterson; Zhen Chen; Germaine M Buck Louis Journal: Fertil Steril Date: 2012-12-01 Impact factor: 7.329
Authors: Bruno Borghese; Jeanne Sibiude; Pietro Santulli; Marie-Christine Lafay Pillet; Louis Marcellin; Ivo Brosens; Charles Chapron Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-02-13 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Jaime Mendiola; María L Sánchez-Ferrer; Raquel Jiménez-Velázquez; Laura Cánovas-López; Ana I Hernández-Peñalver; Shiana Corbalán-Biyang; Ana Carmona-Barnosi; María T Prieto-Sánchez; Aníbal Nieto; Alberto M Torres-Cantero Journal: Hum Reprod Date: 2016-06-28 Impact factor: 6.918