Age at Menarche and Oxidative Stress Markers in Women with Endometriosis

Abstract

Endometriosis is one of the most frequent gynecological disorders defined as the existence and growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Aim of this study was to evaluate the level of six oxidative stress markers in the serum of patients with and without endometriosis. This study included 46 women who were undergoing laparoscopy. The participants were divided into two groups based on their laparoscopic results. Thirty-one women had visually and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis, whereas 15 did not. The serum level of ADMA (asymmetric dimethylarginine), MCP1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1), MMP2 (matrix metalloproteinases 2), MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinases 9), RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and presumably secreted), and VEGF-A (vascular endothelial growth factor) as oxidative stress markers were measured and compared between the two groups. No significant difference in the ADMA, MCP1, MMP2, MMP9, RANTES, and VEGF-A serum levels was detected between the entometriosis patients and controls. The disease stage did not affect any of the markers’ level either. Women with endometriosis had menarche at an earlier age compared to controls [11.7 (SD 1.09) vs 12.6 (SD 1.4), p = 0.04)]. These results suggest that there is no association between endometriosis and increased oxidative stress. The elevation and possible role of oxidative stress markers in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of endometriosis should be evaluated in more extended studies.