Diet and The Risk of Endometriosis in Iranian Women: A Case-Control Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Endocrinology and Female Infertility, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Centre, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Reproductive Health and Midwifery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

5 Department of Statistics, Mathematical Sciences and Computer Faculty, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is one of the most common pelvic diseases associated with dyspareunia, pelvic pain,
and infertility. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the role of diet on the risk of endometriosis among Iranian
women.
Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted in two health research centres between 2015 and
2016. There were 207 women with endometriosis (case) and 206 women without endometriosis (control) who were
evaluated by laparoscopy. The women were asked about their frequency of consumption per week of portions of selected
dietary items in the Iranian diet in the year before the interview.
Results: The results indicated that intake of green vegetables (odds ratio [OR]=0.39, 95% confidence interval
[CI]=0.21–0.74, Ptrend=0.004), red meat (OR=0.61, 95% CI=0.41–0.91, Ptrend=0.015) and dairy products (milk
[OR=0.65, 95% CI=0.47–0.92, Ptrend=0.014], cheese [OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.37–0.76, Ptrend<0.001]), fresh fruit
(OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.50–0.93, Ptrend=0.015) and grain legumes (OR=0.59, 95% CI=0.47–0.77; Ptrend<0.001) had a
significant association with lower risk of endometriosis. Consumption of carrots, green tea, fish, eggs and oil was not
significantly related to the risk of endometriosis.
Conclusion: This study suggests that certain types of dietary components may be related to the risk of endometriosis.

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