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Familial Risk Among Patients with Endometriosis

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Abstract

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of endometriosis among the relatives of patients with confirmed endometriosis.

Methods: We analyzed the prevalence of endometriosis among first-, second-, and third-degree relatives in a group of 101 patients with varying symptoms related to endometriosis seen at two public hospitals and submitted to laparoscopy and/or laparotomy. The control group consisted of 43 women submitted to laparoscopy without a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Results: Among the patients with endometriosis, we detected nine families with a positive history of endometriosis, comprising one mother, six sisters, three aunts, and two cousins, as opposed to no case among the controls.

Conclusions: These data confirm a familial tendency for endometriosis and suggest that this disorder has a genetic basis.

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Dos Reis, R.M., Silva De Sá, M.F., De Moura, M.D. et al. Familial Risk Among Patients with Endometriosis. J Assist Reprod Genet 16, 500–503 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020559201968

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020559201968

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