Evaluation of endometriosis in diagnostic laparoscopy of infertile women without any significant symptoms of endometriosis

ABSTRACT

Regarding the importance of infertility, endometriosis is one of its important and curable causes. We have evaluated in this study the rate of occult endometriosis in infertile patients with unknown cause undergoing laparoscopy. We prospectively studied 58 patients with unexplained infertility who had been referred to Al-Zahra Hospital in a 12-month period [from Dec. 2001 to Dec 2002] who underwent laparoscopy. Of 58 studied patients, 8 [13.79%] had pathologically proven, endometriosis, In laparoscopy, 4 cases [6.89%] had uterine myomatosis and in the others, uterus proved to be normal. 4 Patient [6.89%] had peritoneal adhesion, and adhesion of right adenexa was found in 8 [13.79%] and the left adenexa in 10 [17.24%], and posterior portion of uterine in 6 [10.34%]. Two cases had posterior cul-de-sac fluid. In this study there was a significant relationship between dysparonia and adhesion of left adenexa, adhesion.of posterior surface of uterine and fluid in cul-de-sac in laparoscopy [P=0.001, P=0,006, and P-0,027, respectively]. Also, there-was a significant relationship between galactohea and peritoneal adhesion and adhesion of posterior surface of uterine and fluid in cul-de-sac [P=0.021, P=0.49, and P=0.004, respectively]. In our study the prevalence of occult endometriosis was 13.79% that is in accordance with the previous researches, so in cases with unexplained infertility that do not respond to any treatment, one can immediately try to treat infertility with suspicion of probable occult endometriosis