A study that was published in the Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health journal earlier this year has suggested that endometriosis could be caused by women receiving low levels of testosterone when they were in the womb.
Everyday Health reported on the findings of this research, which has found that women with endometriosis are more likely to have been born to women who have low testosterone levels. This means that a lack of testosterone may “set the hormonal stage for the later development of endometriosis”.
One of the reasons why testosterone hasn’t been thoroughly investigated in relation to endometriosis before is that there is the perception that the condition is “so estrogen-driven”, Natalie Dinsdale, a PhD candidate in evolutionary biology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, told the publication.
She also explained that low testosterone is an indicator of the condition, but there isn’t sufficient evidence to say what causes the condition.
“However, it can become an important clue that doctors can use to suspect endometriosis sooner,” Ms Dinsdale noted.
This in itself could be a significant breakthrough for many women, however, because it can take seven to ten years for many women who suffer from endometriosis to receive an accurate diagnosis.
The scale of the problem is significant. For example, we recently revealed that in Cornwall alone, one woman is admitted to hospital almost every day as a result of experiencing chronic pain associated with endometriosis.
If you are living with this debilitating condition and need support, get in touch with our endometriosis specialist in London.
