Clinical predictors of endometriosis in the infertility population: is there a better way to determine who needs a laparoscopy?

Endometriosis is a known contributor to infertility, but the gold standard for its diagnosis is surgical. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to be able to predict which women with infertility are at high risk for endometriosis and thus should be offered laparoscopy. We sought to identify the clinical predictors of endometriosis in the infertility population.

We conducted a retrospective review of patients at an academic infertility centre. The primary outcome was identification of endometriosis at laparoscopy, and we used logistic regression to test clinical variables for their ability to predict endometriosis.

Primary infertility, dysmenorrhea, and uterosacral/cul-de-sac nodularity were significant independent predictors of finding endometriosis at laparoscopy. Other clinical variables (including hysterosalpingogram findings) were not independent predictors of endometriosis, and physicians with an endometriosis-focused practice were more likely to diagnose endometriosis at laparoscopy.

Key predictors of endometriosis in the infertility population are primary infertility, dysmenorrhea, and uterosacral/cul-de-sac nodularity. These results will be used to develop and validate a formal clinical prediction model for endometriosis in infertile women.