"study of endometriosis related infertility, a comparative study"

it seems that endometriosis plays an important role in female factor infertility but a clear causal relationship has yet to be established. this case-control study was conducted to determine and compare the frequency and severity of endometriosis in 100 infertile women and 120 fertile multi-para women as control group. descriptive statistics, student t test and chi square test were used in analyzing data. endometriosis was diagnosed in 38% of infertile versus 11.6% in fertile women (p=0.002). the mean age of women with endometriosis was 27.9±6.1 years; maximum prevalence of endometriosis was observed at 26 years of age. the mean duration of infertility was 4.3±1.9 years in women with endometriosis and 4.6±1.2 years in women without endometriosis. the prevalence of endometriosis in study population was comparatively higher than what has been reported in studies from other countries. there was a significant relation between endometriosis and infertility. diagnostic time interval had no relation with infertility and severity of endometriosis. age-related factors did not have any effect on fertility in women with endometriosis. our study demonstrates a meaningful relation between endometriosis and infertility. endometriosis may have a higher prevalence in iranian population.