The researchers behind the new study have analysed data from around 8,000 women with endometriosis and 240,000 women without the condition.
Solveig Løkhammer from the University of Bergen (UiB) is one of the researchers involved in the project.
"Women with endometriosis more frequently reported traumatic experiences such as physical and sexual violence, witnessing a sudden death, and receiving a life-threatening diagnosis," she tells sciencenorway.no.
Dora Koller at the University of Barcelona and Yale University was also involved in the research project. She tells sciencenorway.no that the researchers do not believe that endometriosis is caused by traumatic events.
One of the researchers involved with the study is Dora Koller at the University of Barcelona and Yale University.(Photo: Private)
They also do not believe that trauma makes women more vulnerable to the disease, but rather that some genes may contribute to both, even though they are not directly related to each other.
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What is endometriosis?
According to the World Health Organizaton, endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body.
The most common symptoms are pain – either constant, during menstruation, or during sex – and difficulty getting pregnant.
Endometriosis can also be asymptomatic, making it difficult to detect.
The only way to definitively diagnose endometriosis is through laparoscopic surgery.
Maria Christine Magnus is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's Centre for Fertility and Health. She leads a research project on endometriosis.
Maria Christine Magnus is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.(Photo: Private)
She finds the new study interesting but believes that there are likely some underlying factors that increase the likelihood of both trauma and an endometriosis diagnosis.
Magnus believes that women who have been subjected to sexual abuse may be affected for the rest of their lives and are likely to be more aware of bodily changes.
It may take less for them to seek medical attention and receive a diagnosis compared to women who have not experienced trauma, according to Magnus.
"Also, the study does not provide information on whether the women's mothers have endometriosis. If the mothers have the diagnosis, they may be more likely to recognise symptoms in their daughters, increasing the chances of a diagnosis," she explains.
According to Løkhammer, the UK Biobank, from which the study's data comes, contains very few close family members. If any were present, they were excluded from genetic analyses, she says.
"What we observe in the study is therefore not due to family effects. The study also accounts for the effects of socioeconomic status," says Løkhammer.
She also explains that the study shows that those who have experienced sexual violence and abuse often avoid gynaecological examinations, leading to an underdiagnosis of endometriosis.
Solveig Løkhammer is one of the researchers behind the new study.(Photo: Studio1 Fotografene)
Increased risk of diagnosis
The Norwegian Endometriosis Association writes that experts do not fully understand why the disease develops and that it takes an average of seven years to receive a diagnosis in Norway.
"We know little about what causes endometriosis, but it has been proven that certain conditions can increase the risk of being diagnosed," explains Magnus, adding:
"Women who were born underweight, had a low BMI in their teens, or started menstruating early may have an increased risk of developing endometriosis."
This model illustrates a woman's internal reproductive organs. It includes the vagina, uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes.(Photo: Shutterstock / NTB)
28,000 women with endometriosis
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Between 2008 and 2021, 28,000 women in Norway were diagnosed with endometriosis. Among women experiencing pelvic pain, 25 per cent are diagnosed with the disease.
Endometriosis can be treated with pain-relieving medications, hormonal treatments such as birth control pills, or surgically removed.
"Endometriosis is closely linked to other health conditions, including fertility problems and cancer. That's why it's important to raise public knowledge about the condition so that people can be diagnosed and receive proper follow-up care," says Magnus.
