the occurrence of endometriosis among infertile patients with uterine myoma and those with p olyc ystic ovarian disease: comparison with infertile control cases

in order to determine the occurrence of endometriosis in patients with uterine myoma and in those with polycystic ovarian disease (pcod) compared to controls, 540 infertile patients were first divided into two age groups of 20-29 and 30-39. then each group was subdivided to patients with 1) uterine myoma, 2) pcod, and 3) no uterine myoma or pcod (control subgroup). the occurrence of endometriosis was ascertained in each subgroup. this occurrence was compared between subgroups 1 and 3, and subgroups 2 and 3. for statistical analysis the mantel and haenszel test was used. the occurrence of endometriosis in general was higher in subgroup 1 than in 3 (45.9% versus 19.9%), and the mantel and haenszel test gave a p<0.002. the occurrence of endometriosis was lower in subgroup 2 than in 3 (7.3% versus 19.9%), and the mantel and haenszel test gave a p<0.005. as it is classically stated that myoma is an estrogen dependent tumor and pcod patients have an androgenic milieu, it could be suggested that the different effects of hormones may be the reason for the varied occurrence of endometriosis found in this study.