Endometriosis protects against pre-eclampsia

[Guest]

Endometriosis prior to conception does not increase women’s risk of pre-eclampsia but instead protects against it, suggest experts.

Few studies have looked at the effect endometriosis has on women in late pregnancy. Ivo Brosens and colleagues therefore compared the number of pregnancy complications in 245 women with endometriosis-associated infertility with those in 274 healthy control women.

They found that fewer women with endometriosis suffered from pre-eclampsia, at 0.8 percent, than healthy women controls, at 5.8 percent. The odds of developing pre-eclampsia were 5.67 times higher in women from the control group than in pregnancies following endometriosis-associated infertility.

The authors argue that this may reflect “increased local expression of angiogenic factors and enhanced endometrial vascular perfusion at the time of implantation in women with endometriosis.”

They conclude: “Although this explanation remains speculative, our findings do emphasize the importance of the endometrial mileu at the time of conception in determining pregnancy outcome.”

Source: Human Reproduction 2007; Advance online publication / Medwire News

[sandy]

Interesting...I have just one maternal aunt. She had PE in her first pregnancy. My mother did not; she did have endometriosis. Wondering if she would have had PE w/me if it hadn't been for the endometriosis.

[alviarin]

That is interesting. My sister with endometriosis had a totally healthy pregnancy. Of course I also have one more risk factor for PE than she does- my MIL had PE with both her children, including my husband.

[caryn]

Here's a link to the Pubmed abstract:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17452394&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum

"The odds of developing pre-eclampsia were 5.67 times higher in the control group than in pregnancies following endometriosis-associated infertility. In multiple pregnancies, the odds of developing pre-eclampsia increased 1.93 times per additional child, with or without endometriosis..."

[lisainnj]

Meshes with my personal hunch about endometrial perfusion at time of implantation. I never had endometriosis but I used to have very heavy periods, chunks of lining shed - and no problems with PE. Prior to my PE pregnancy I had very light periods.

Of course, it may not be what's going on at the time of implantation that matters as much as what is going on three months later when the deeper uterine invasion occurs - but women with endometriosis may still have an angiogenic advantage then.

[frumiousb]

I had mild endometriosis, but still had severe pree/HELLP.

Isn't endometriosis often part and parcel of a general picture of immune system disfunction? I've had Crohn's Disease, endo & now pree/HELLP. The doctors keep telling me that it is all unrelated, but it still strikes me as odd...

Cheryl

[miracle3]

I just had a hysterectomy due to endometriosis as well as andrometriosis sp? and I had terrible pe and hellp

[alviarin]

quote:

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Originally posted by frumiousb


Isn't endometriosis often part and parcel of a general picture of immune system disfunction?

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I thought they were starting to classify endometriosis as an autoimmune disorder. I have read that women with endometriosis were more likely to have hypothyroidism (like my sister). Autoimmune disorders seem to run in our family- mostly Hashi's.

[shellbell]

Funny that I was diagonesed with Endometriosis at a laperoscopy in 2004 I was told to expect to have trouble falling preganent and i maynot carry full term, if I was sucessful carrying her it should help with endometriosis in the future.2 months off the pill my daughter was concieved and i carried her and suffered with servere pre-eclempsia put on 40kgs which was fluid she was born by emergancy c-section then i was in ICU with eclempsia.
Last wednesday I had another laperoscopy to investergate the
Endometriosis and it had returned more so then last time. I had pieces of my bladder removed,cyst on the tubes and adhesions,alot going on in my stomach really. I have to have more tests now to see if i also have Adenomyosis in side the uterus wall. My Aunt has endometriosis and suffered preeclampsia as well the more i hear of these situations the more i think more resurch needs doing.

[pearl_took]

I have had surgery twice for endometriosis but still ended up with pre-eclampsia. It was not horrible like other women have it thank God. I had RUG pain, couldn't even lay on my right side or it hurt bad, HBP, and only on the day I went into labor did they finally discover protein in my urine. Both me and my baby girl were fine but it was scary afterwards to learn how bad it could have been