Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
08:07
Establishment of an Experimental Mouse Model of Endometrioma to Study its Related Infertility
Published on: April 5, 2024
Perinatal environment and endometriosis.
Edgardo Somigliana1, Paola Vigano, Annalisa Abbiati
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Neonatology, Fondazione Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy. dadosomigliana@yahoo.it
Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation
|June 1, 2011
Summary
Prenatal environmental exposures may influence fetal development and adult disease risk. This study found no significant links to endometriosis, except for an intriguing association with handedness.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Developmental Biology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Perinatal environmental exposures are hypothesized to impact fetal development and predispose to adult-onset diseases.
- This pathogenetic model is explored in the context of endometriosis, a complex gynecological condition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of in utero environmental exposures in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
- To assess potential associations between endometriosis and various prenatal factors.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed.
- Cases comprised women with a first laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis.
- Controls were women without endometriosis who underwent laparoscopy; interviews were conducted with participants and their mothers.
Main Results:
- Ninety-one women with endometriosis and 82 controls were included.
- A significant difference in handedness was observed; women with endometriosis were less likely to be left- or mixed-handed (adjusted OR: 0.24).
- No significant associations were found with birth order, maternal age, smoking, nausea, weight gain, prematurity, birth weight, or breastfeeding.
Conclusions:
- The study findings do not strongly support a major role for in utero exposure in endometriosis pathogenesis.
- The observed association between endometriosis and handedness warrants further investigation.
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