To compare the incidence of a uterine septum in women with and without endometriosis and if such incidence correlates with the stage of endometriosis Although a correlation between obstructive Mullerian anomalies and endometriosis has been well established, its link with non-obstructive anomalies remains controversial. To elucidate whether there is a correlation between endometriosis and non-obstructive Mullerian anomalies, we conducted this prospective study on all patients admitted to our Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility surgical service from February 1, 2010 through June 30, 2012. All patients underwent both hysteroscopy and laparoscopy. Surgical indications included: infertility, pain, and/or menorrhagia. The presence or absence of endometriosis and uterine anomalies were recorded immediately after each surgery and subsequently analyzed. Endometriosis was staged according to the r-ASRM Classification and treated by resection and ablation of deep and superficial lesions, respectively. Since uterine septum is the most common Mullerian anomaly, we considered only this anomaly to test the hypothesis that uterine septum may be associated with an increased incidence of endometriosis.
Design
Prospective Study. Evidence from a well-designed case-control study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).
Setting
University-affiliated tertiary care center.
Patients
Reproductive aged women admitted to our service for treatment of pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, and/or infertility.
Intervention
All patients underwent both hysteroscopy and laparoscopy as part of their evaluation and treatment of pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, and/or infertility.
Measurements and Main Results
343 patients were included in the study. The diagnosis of each patient included infertility - 52, pain - 215, both - 30 and other - 46. The diagnosis of septate uterus was made at hysteroscopy when the endometrial cavity was separated by an avascular septum that obscured visualization of both cornua when the hysteroscope was advanced to the mid-uterine segment. The septum was lysed sharply from cornua to cornua restoring normal fundal configuration. In all cases, the septolysis was bloodless, confirming its avascular nature. The overall incidence of uterine septum was 33% in our patient population. In patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis, the incidence of septum was 37% versus 27% in patients without endometriosis (P = .046). In patients with advanced endometriosis, Stage IV disease, the incidence of septate uterus was 41% (P = .022). The odds ratio of Stage IV endometriosis with a uterine septum was 1.94 (CI 1.09-3.44).
Conclusion
The incidence of septate uterus in our population of women with infertility and/or pelvic pain ranges from 27% to 37%, being significantly higher in women with endometriosis and mores so with Stage IV disease. Our data suggests that the presence of a uterine septum may predispose to more advanced disease.
