Differences in characteristics among 1,000 women with endometriosis based on extent of disease.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between disease severity and patient characteristics in endometriosis.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of self-reported survey data.


METHODS
Academic research setting.


METHODS
One thousand women in the Oxford Endometriosis Gene (OXEGENE) study.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Participants were assigned to one of two groups with predominantly revised AFS stage I-II (group I, n = 423) or III-IV disease (group II, n = 517). Their characteristics were compared by disease extent.


RESULTS
Most participants were white (96%) and of reproductive age (81%). Women in group I were significantly younger on entering the study (39.9 +/- 0.5 vs. 44.5 +/- 0.4 years). Overall time to diagnosis did not differ between groups. The most common symptoms leading to a diagnosis were dysmenorrhea (79%) and pelvic pain (69%). In group II, subfertility (21.5% vs. 30.0%) and an ovarian mass (7.3% vs. 29.4%) more commonly led to a diagnosis, whereas dyspareunia (51.1% vs. 39.5%) was significantly more common in group I. Subfertility (41.5% vs. 53.4%) remained more common in group II throughout reproductive life, although birth and miscarriage rates were similar.


CONCLUSIONS
Pelvic pain is common to all with endometriosis and those with more extensive disease report higher rates of subfertility. Remarkably, the time to diagnosis was similar among women.
Sinaii
Ninet
N
Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Service, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1871, USA. sinaiin@mail.nih.gov
Plumb
Katherine
K
Cotton
Louise
L
Lambert
Ann
A
Kennedy
Stephen
S
Zondervan
Krina
K
Stratton
Pamela
P
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D000032:Abortion, Therapeutic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001723:Birth Rate; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology