Original Article

Risk Factors for Dysmenorrhea and Its Severity in Women with Ovarian Endometriomas
Xishi Liu^a, Lei Yuan^a, Yuedong Wang^b, Fanghua Shen^a, Sun-Wei Guo<sup>c

a</sup>Department of Gynecology, Shanghai OB/GYN Hospital, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China;
^bDepartment of Statistics and Applied Probability, University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif., USA;
^cRenji Hospital, and the Institute of Obstetric and Gynecologic Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PR China

Address of Corresponding Author

Gynecol Obstet Invest 2008;66:169-177 (DOI: 10.1159/000140513)

  Key Words

• Dysmenorrhea
• Ovarian endometrioma
• Risk factors
• Severity

  Abstract

Objective: To identify factors associated with the risk of developing dysmenorrhea or the severity of dysmenorrhea in women with surgically confirmed ovarian endometriomas. Study Design: 710 patients with surgically diagnosed ovarian endometriomas were interviewed and their charts read. Fourteen factors were considered. Among the 710 patients, 376 patients had major complaint of dysmenorrhea and were evaluated to identify factors associated with the severity of dysmenorrhea. Results: The logistic regression model identified younger age at surgery, previous medication use, presence of adhesion, and presence of adenomyosis as risk factors for dysmenorrhea. For the severity of dysmenorrhea, the presence of adenomyosis was consistently and robustly identified by several statistical models with rather different assumptions as the factor associated with severity. The rAFS stage was also associated with the severity, but the association may be explained by the presence of adenomyosis. Conclusion: The presence of adenomyosis has been consistently identified as a risk factor for both dysmenorrhea and its severity. Younger age at surgery, presence of adhesion, and previous use of endometriosis-related medication are additional risk factors for dysmenorrhea. For the severity of dysmenorrhea, there are other factors than the presence of adenomyosis that may influence the severity of dysmenorrhea.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Sun-Wei Guo, PhD
Renji Hospital, and the Institute of Obstetric and Gynecologic Research
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
145 Shandong Zhong Road, Shanghai 200001 (PR China)
Tel./Fax +86 21 5388 2377, E-Mail hoxa10@gmail.com

  Article Information

Received: October 29, 2007
Accepted after revision: March 31, 2008
Published online: June 19, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 9
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 5, Number of References : 33