Inverse association between obesity and intestinal endometriosis: Findings from a cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Surgical Gynecology
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Endometriosis is a condition where uterine-like tissue grows outside the uterus.
• Bowel endometriosis, a severe form, affects the rectosigmoid region.
• The association between obesity and endometriosis, particularly bowel involvement, requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between obesity and the presence of bowel endometriosis in surgical patients.
• To investigate if body mass index (BMI) or body weight correlates with bowel lesion occurrence.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional observational study of 223 women with deep endometriosis.
• Bowel endometriosis defined as rectosigmoid lesions >1 cm.
• Multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and cesarean deliveries.

Main Results:

• 24.2% of women had bowel endometriosis.
• Higher body weight was independently associated with a lower likelihood of bowel lesions (OR: 0.97; P=0.031).
• Increased number of cesarean deliveries also showed an inverse association with bowel endometriosis (OR: 0.39; P=0.002).

Conclusions:

• Higher body weight may be associated with a decreased chance of bowel endometriosis.
• Results should be interpreted cautiously due to the study's cross-sectional design and limitations of BMI/body weight.
• Future research should utilize precise anthropometric assessments like bioimpedance or body fat percentage.