DELAY IN PELVIC ENDOMETRIOSIS DIAGNOSIS IN A PUBLIC GYNECOLOGICAL CLINIC IN CAMPINAS, BRAZIL
Keywords:
endometriosis, diagnostic interval, infertility, female, dysmenorrheaAbstract
Objective
Determine the time interval between the initial symptoms and the diagnosis of endometriosis and the stage of the disease.
Method
Retrospective study of the medical records of 52 women with endometriosis from January 1996 to December 2000. The variables studied were the woman's age at the time of diagnosis and at the beginning of the complaint, history of dysmenorrhea and sterility, interval from the initial complaint to the diagnosis and stage of the disease according to criteria from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Result
The average age at symptom onset and diagnosis was 26.9 and 30.6 years respectively. The stage of the disease was advanced in 65.3% of women and there was no variation in the diagnostic intervals between the different stages. Women with a history of sterility had a longer delay in diagnosis (median of 4 years) than women with dysmenorrhea (median of 2 years and 5 months), p=0.03.
Conclusion
It is necessary to pay attention to the early diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis in young women, as delays in recommending laparoscopy lead to late diagnosis and compromising the reproductive future of these women.
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