New research shows that childhood and adulthood trauma, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, can increase the likelihood of developing endometriosis, regardless of genetic predisposition.
Study: Observing and genetic analyzes of traumatic experiences and endometriosis. Credit Picture: Halfpoint/Shutterstock.com
Can the past trauma shape physical health in women? A recent study published in Jama He explored the relationship between traumatic experiences and endometriosis, a painful condition that affects millions of women worldwide.
Using observational and genetic data, the researchers investigated whether the trauma history and genetic predisposition play a role in the risk of endometriosis. The findings could shift how to understand and promote this chronic illness.
Reproductive and mental health of women
Endometriosis is a debilitating condition where the tissue similar to uterine lining develops outside the uterus, causing problems of pain, inflammation and fertility. Although it affects almost 10-15% of women of childbearing age, its precise causes remain unclear.
While genetic factors play a role, emerging research suggests that environmental influences, including anxiety and trauma, can contribute. In addition, many women experience chronic incorrect diagnosis and ineffective treatments, as current diagnostic tools and treatment options remain limited.
Previous studies have identified links between endometriosis problems and mental health, especially anxiety and depression. Recent genetic research also shows a possible common biological pathway between endometriosis and psychiatric disorders.
In addition, while the relationship between adversity of early life and chronic health conditions was well documented, few studies have immediately examined how different types of trauma, such as child abuse, partners’ violence and extreme anxiety, affect the risk endometriosis.
For the study
This study analyzed data from the United Kingdom (United Kingdom) Biobank for over 8,000 women with endometriosis and more than 240,000 checks.
The researchers evaluated the correlation between traumatic experiences, such as child abuse, sexual assault and violent crime and endometriosis using statistical models that represented age, socio -economic and origin.
The self -reported wound stories were categorized into different types, including interpersonal trauma, non -confidential trauma, contact trauma and non -contact trauma.
To further investigate the possible genetic influences, the study included correlation analyzes throughout the genome from large data sets, including over 21,000 patients of European descent and almost 2,000 of East Asia.
The researchers examined polygonal risk ratings to evaluate whether genetic sensitivity to trauma -related disorders, such as post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), associated with an increased risk of endometriosis. The patterns of injury exposure between women with and without endometriosis were also investigated.
This approach has allowed researchers to classify participants into different categories of trauma-response, providing information on how different types of trauma may be related to endometriosis.
Polygyst risk assessment further evaluated whether genetic sensitivity to endometriosis interacts with exposure to traumatic events, helping to determine whether the trauma acted as an activation of genetically predisposing individuals.
Results
The study found that women with endometriosis were significantly more likely to report traumatic experiences than those without the situation. Communication traumas, including physical and sexual abuse, had the strongest union.
For example, women who experienced child abuse or interpersonal trauma had a higher chance of developing endometriosis than those who had never faced such events. These compounds remained significant even after adapting to confusing factors such as age and socio -economic background.
Further analysis has shown that endometriosis was particularly linked to specific types of wounds, including child abuse, the environmental violence of partners and experiences of serious emotional distress.
Women who reported multiple traumatic events were at an even higher risk, indicating a possible cumulative effect of the injury exposure to the development of the disease.
In addition, women with endometriosis were found to be increasing chance of experiencing stress -related situations, such as anxiety and depression, further enhancing the relationship between mental health and endometriosis.
Genetic analysis also revealed a remarkable correlation between endometriosis and PTSD, indicating a common genetic basis. Specifically, genetic risk factors associated with PTSD and child abuse have shown coating with those associated with endometriosis.
The study found that people with a higher polygonal risk for PTSD were also more likely to develop endometriosis.
However, while both the trauma and the genetic predisposition independently affected the risk of endometriosis, no immediate interaction between them was observed.
This means that while women with genetic predisposition to endometriosis and history of trauma have a higher combined risk, only trauma does not directly cause endometriosis in these genetic predisposition.
The study also emphasized several restrictions. The researchers discussed how self-reported wound stories may be affected by the bias of recall and the dependence of the study on European-centric genetic data has limited the application of findings to other populations.
In addition, while the findings of genetic correlation have proposed common biological mechanisms, further research are needed to clarify the precise paths connecting the trauma and endometriosis.
Conclusions
Overall, the study provided urgent evidence that traumatic experiences and genetic predisposition contribute to the risk of endometriosis.
While accurate biological mechanisms remain unclear, these findings emphasized the importance of examining psychological history in control and diagnosis of endometriosis.
Given the correlation between genetic factors related to endometriosis and PTSD -related genetic factors, researchers believe that future research should investigate whether targeted interventions, such as mental health support or stress -reducing treatments , could mitigate the impact of the trauma on the development of endometriosis.
Magazine report:
Koller, D., Løkhammer, S., Goroshchuk, O., Denner, V., Stiletner, B., Mitjans, M. R. (2025). Observing and genetic analyzes of traumatic experiences and endometriosis. Jama. win:10.1001/Jamapsychiatry.2024.4694.
