Association of body mass index with severity of endometriosis in Korean women

Yi, Kyong Wook; Shin, Jung-Ho; Park, Man Sik; Kim, Tak; Kim, Sun Haeng; Hur, Jun-Young

doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2008.11.001

« Previous Next »International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics
Volume 105, Issue 1 , Pages 39-42, April 2009

Association of body mass index with severity of endometriosis in Korean women

Kyong Wook Yi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Jung-Ho Shin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- Corresponding author. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University Guro Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, 80, Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703, Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2626 1831; fax: +82 2 838 1560.
Man Sik Park
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Tak Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Sun Haeng Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
Jun-Young Hur
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea

Received 17 September 2008; received in revised form 17 October 2008; accepted 4 November 2008. published online 15 December 2008.

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the relationship between endometriosis severity and body mass index (BMI).

Methods

Of 481 women seen for endometriosis at a university hospital in Korea, 153 had stage I, 113 had stage II, 110 had stage III, and 105 had stage IV disease. The patients' BMIs were categorized according to World Health Organization criteria for Asian-Pacific populations.

Results

Women with early or mild endometriosis (stages I or II) had a significantly higher BMI than those with advanced disease (stages III or IV) (P<0.001). After adjusting for age, parity, and menstrual factors, an association between BMI and disease stage remained significant (P<0.001).

Conclusion

Women with advanced-stage endometriosis had lower BMIs than those with minimal or mild disease, and BMI was significantly associated with disease severity.

Keywords: Body mass index, Endometriosis, Disease severity