Women with endometriosis may have higher risk of stroke - Video

A large, prospective study found that women with endometriosis may have a higher risk of stroke compared to women without the chronic inflammatory condition, according to new research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed flagship journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

Study enrolled the Nurses' Health Study II. The analysis involved 112,056 women who were nurses between the ages of 25 and 42 years old from 14 U.S. states at the start of the study in 1989. The current study ended in 2017. A laparoscopy (surgical procedure in which a fiber-optic instrument is inserted through the abdominal wall to view the organs in the abdomen or to permit a surgical procedure) was used to make the diagnosis of endometriosis. Endometriosis was reported in 5,244 women and most of the participants (93%), including those diagnosed with endometriosis, were white women.

Additionally, researchers investigated if the link between endometriosis and risk of stroke could be explained by other mediating factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) and postmenopausal hormone therapy. During the 28 years of follow-up including medical record confirmations, researchers documented 893 strokes.

The analysis found that women with endometriosis (5,244) had a 34% greater risk of stroke, compared to those without the condition (106,812). The largest proportion of the stroke risk associated with endometriosis was linked to hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy (39%) and postmenopausal hormone therapy (16%). No significant differences were seen in the relationship between endometriosis and stroke across multiple factors - such as age, infertility history, body mass index or menopausal status.

There are circumstances when a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy is the best choice for a woman, however, we also need to make sure that patients are aware of the potential health risks associated with these procedures, ended the researchers.

Reference: "Women with endometriosis may have higher risk of stroke"; AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, Stroke; DOI-10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.039250.