Women who had traumatic childhoods are at higher risk of this debilitating gynaecological condition

Published on 11/06/2025 - 15:07 GMT+2

Women who were physically abused arsenic children are much than doubly arsenic apt to create endometriosis successful adulthood, caller investigation has found.

Endometriosis, which affects astir 1 successful 10 women worldwide, is simply a chronic gynaecological information wherever insubstantial grows extracurricular nan uterus. It tin origin terrible symptom during periods and sex, arsenic good arsenic bloating, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and infertility successful immoderate cases.

There is nary cure for endometriosis, and doctors still don’t afloat understand what causes it. But nan caller study, published successful nan journal Human Reproduction, sheds ray connected which women are astatine higher risk.

It included much than 1.3 cardinal women calved successful Sweden betwixt 1974 and 2001, much than 24,000 of whom were diagnosed pinch endometriosis.

Women who had difficult aliases traumatic childhoods were 20 per cent much apt to person endometriosis – and nan much adverse experiences they had, nan higher nan risk, nan study found.

This could see having a genitor pinch intelligence illness, constituent abuse, money problems aliases intelligence disabilities; having a teenage parent; aliases witnessing aliases experiencing unit aliases intersexual abuse.

Women who had been exposed to unit aliases intersexual maltreatment during puerility were astatine nan highest consequence of processing endometriosis, nan study found.

And those who reported 5 aliases much adverse experiences had a 60 per cent higher chance of endometriosis, compared pinch those who had trauma-free childhoods.

Notably, researchers recovered nary necktie betwixt having a decease successful nan family and processing nan condition.

“The results propose that early life experiences tin impact nan body's wellness overmuch later successful life and item nan value of looking astatine nan full person, not conscionable nan symptoms,” Dr Marika Rostvall, 1 of nan study’s authors and a interrogator astatine nan Karolinska Institute successful Sweden, said successful a statement.

The nexus betwixt puerility trauma and big health

Our experiences during childhood, particularly our earliest years, person a nonstop effect connected our wellness and well-being good into adulthood.

Researchers person already recovered links betwixt adverse experiences successful puerility and a scope of wellness problems, including mediocre intelligence health, type 2 diabetes, bosom disease, and cancer.

It’s not clear precisely really these experiences could beryllium linked to endometriosis, but Rostvall raised 2 possibilities.

One is that puerility accent could impact nan immune system, preventing it from efficaciously clearing endometrial tissue. It could besides impact nan body’s sensitivity to pain, making women much apt to acquisition terrible symptoms that lead to an endometriosis diagnosis.

“I dream that nan findings tin beryllium utilized to amended some preventive measures and curen successful healthcare,” Rostvall said.