Numerous complementary treatments have been used to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis, but only acupuncture has demonstrated a significant improvement in outcomes.

2022 International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics Systematic review and meta-analysis of complementary treatments for women with symptomatic endometriosis Ticiana A.A. Mira, Mariana M. Buen, Murilo G. Borges, Daniela A. Yela, Cristina L. Benetti-Pinto

Systematic Review Endometriosis

The complementary interventions studied were acupuncture, exercise, electrotherapy, and yoga. All were inconclusive in affirming benefit, but demonstrated a positive trend in the treatment of symptoms of endometriosis. Meta-analysis of acupuncture showed a significant benefit in pain reduction as compared with placebo.

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Higher consumption of dairy foods relates to a decreased risk of endometriosis, while increased intake of red meat and certain fats elevates the risk.

2022 Nutrition Journal Food groups and nutrients consumption and risk of endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies Arab A, Karimi E, Vingrys K, Kelishadi MR, Mehrabani S, Askari G

Systematic Review Dairy Endometriosis Red Meat

The study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies, evaluating the relationship between dietary intakes of specific food groups (dairy, fats, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and meat) and endometriosis risk. The databases PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science were systematically searched until September 2022 to collect data. To measure the effect size and corresponding confidence intervals, the inverse variance-weighted fixed-effect method was used. There were eight publications included in this study, ranging from a sample size of 156 to 116,607, comprising five cohorts and three case-control studies.

The results indicated a link between the risk of endometriosis and dietary intake. A higher intake of total dairy products was associated with a decreased risk, but there was no such association found with either low or high-fat dairy, cheese or milk. Conversely, a higher consumption of red meat, trans fatty acids, and saturated fatty acids showed an association with an increased risk of endometriosis. The results highlight differing associations between dietary practices and endometriosis risk, hinting at the role of diet in the incidence and progression of the condition.

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Endometriosis, a prevalent gynecological disease, may arise due to changes in the female genital system's development during a crucial fetal life window.

2022 Frontiers in Medicine New Insights in Pathogenesis of Endometriosis Signorile PG, Viceconte R, Baldi A

Review Article Endometriosis

The research involved an extensive review and analysis of recent literature on various proposed pathogenic mechanisms responsible for endometriosis. Central to the methodology was a detailed inspection of the embryologic theory of endometriosis pathogenesis. This theory suggests that an aberration in the developmental program of the female genital system in the fetus could prompt the development of endometriosis.

The discussions highlight the findings of both the research group that authored this work as well as other research groups. These studies have all revealed potential signs of a change in the careful regulation of the female genital system's development during a particularly vital time in fetal development. This alteration, they propose, might set the stage for endometriosis to emerge later in life. While the other traditionally accepted theories, like retrograde menstruation and coelomic metaplasia, are acknowledged, specific emphasis is given to the implications of the embryologic theory.

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Adding acupuncture to conventional therapy may decrease the subsequent endometriosis risk in female rheumatoid arthritis patients.

2021 Frontiers in Medicine The Relationship of Acupuncture Use to the Endometriosis Risk in Females With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Real-World Evidence From Population-Based Health Claims Chen Wei-Jen, Livneh Hanoch, Hsu Chien-Hui, Hu Ying-To, Lai Ning-Sheng, Guo How-Ran, et al.

Endometriosis Period Pain & Endometriosis Rheumatoid Arthritis

Between 1998 and 2010, female subjects with RA were recruited from a nationwide database (5,736 patients; age ≥20 years). Enrolled patients included 2,407 acupuncture users and 2,407 nonusers randomly selected using propensity scores. The occurrence of endometriosis was recorded through the end of 2012. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) associated with acupuncture use.

Results: During the follow-up period, 35 acupuncture users and 94 non-users developed endometriosis, with incidence rates of 2.36 and 4.91 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Acupuncture use was associated with a 55% lower endometriosis risk. Those who received high intensity acupuncture (≥15 packages) had the greatest benefit.

The results of multivariable analysis demonstrated that the use of acupuncture was related to a significantly reduced risk of endometriosis. In the subgroup analysis, the medium- to high-level intensity acupuncture use was found to possibly lessen the risk of having endometriosis for more than 70%. We discovered that the post-rheumatoid arthritis acupuncture use would significantly reduce the risk of endometriosis in a dose-dependent manner.

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Caffeine consumption does not seem to be associated with an increased risk of endometriosis overall, higher caffeine intake may be linked to an elevated risk, and more research is required to understand this potential dose-dependent relationship and account for unidentified biases.

2021 Nutrients The Relation between Caffeine Consumption and Endometriosis: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Kechagias KS, Katsikas Triantafyllidis K, Kyriakidou M, Giannos P, Kalliala I, Veroniki AA, et al.

Systematic Review Caffeine Endometriosis

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the relationship between caffeine consumption and endometriosis risk. Analyzing ten studies, including five cohort and five case-control studies, the research found no significant overall association between caffeine intake and endometriosis risk compared to women with low or no caffeine consumption. However, when stratified by caffeine intake levels, high caffeine consumption was linked to an increased risk of endometriosis, while moderate intake showed no significant association. The study concludes that while caffeine consumption as a whole does not seem to be associated with heightened endometriosis risk, a dose-dependent link may exist, warranting further research to understand this potential relationship and account for any unidentified biases.

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