Questioning patients about their adolescent history can identify markers associated with deep infiltrating endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether the clinical history, particularly of the adolescence period, contains markers of deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Universitary tertiary referral center.

PATIENT(S): Two hundred twenty-nine patients operated on for endometriosis. Endometriotic lesions were histologically confirmed as non-DIE (superficial peritoneal endometriosis and/or ovarian endometriomas) (n = 131) or DIE (n = 98).

INTERVENTION(S): Surgical excision of endometriotic lesions with pathological analysis of each specimens.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Epidemiological data, pelvic pain scores, family history of endometriosis, absenteeism from school during menstruation, oral contraceptive (OC) pill use.

RESULT(S): Patients with DIE had significantly more positive family history of endometriosis (odds ratio [OR] = 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-8.8) and more absenteeism from school during menstruation (OR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1-3). The OC pill use for treating severe primary dysmenorrhea was more frequent in patients with DIE (OR = 4.5; 95% CI: 1.9-10.4). Duration of OC pill use for severe primary dysmenorrhea was longer in patients with DIE (8.4 ± 4.7 years vs. 5.1 ± 3.8 years). There was a higher incidence of OC pill use for severe primary dysmenorrhea before 18 years of age in patients with DIE (OR = 4.2; 95% CI: 1.8-10.0).

CONCLUSION(S): The knowledge of adolescent period history can identify markers that are associated with DIE in patients undergoing surgery for endometriosis.