Washington DC: Mothers-to-be, please take note! Women with endometriosis - the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus - are at a greater risk of complications during pregnancy and at delivery, a recent study has warned.
The results revealed that the women with this condition were at a higher risk of preterm birth, miscarriage, cesarean delivery and placenta previa.
Researchers from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in the U.S. showed that endometriosis was associated with the birth of infants who were small for their gestational age.
Researcher Vincenzo Berghella said that it is important that women with a history of endometriosis and obstetricians caring for them, are aware of this association between prior endometriosis and higher risks of miscarriage, preterm birth, placenta previa, cesarean delivery and a baby small for gestational age.
Berghella added that these pregnancies deserve closer monitoring for these complications.
"Endometriosis is known to alter a woman's physiology in a way that could interfere with a number of stages of pregnancy," stated Berghella.
From causing inflammation at the endometrium, to resisting the action of progesterone during implantation and throughout the pregnancy, there are a number of ways that endometriosis may affect the normal course of pregnancy, the researchers explained.
The team analysed 24 studies, which comprised over a million women.
"Studies like ours help clarify the findings by pooling the data from many studies to give the field a more conclusive answer to a debated research question. The collective data is stronger than any single study alone and often helps shape opinion in the field."
The research appears in journal Fertility and Sterility.
