EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL ASPECTS OF PELVIC ENDOMETRIOSIS - A CASE SERIES

OBJECTIVE. To describe clinical and epidemiological aspects of patients with pelvic endometriosis who underwent laparoscopy at our service. METHODS. Retrospective study of 892 post-laparoscopy patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis. RESULTS. Mean age was 33.2 +/- 6.3 years, and 78.7% of patients were Caucasian. We found that 76.9% of women in the sample had a higher education. Most (56.5%) patients were nulliparous, and 62.2% reported dysmenorrhea as the chief complaint. Chronic pelvic pain was the most prevalent symptom, followed by deep dyspareunia, reported by 56.8% and 54.7% of patients respectively. Infertility was reported by 39.8% of the 892 patients in the sample. CONCLUSION. Endometriosis is most often diagnosed in the fourth decade of life. Patients with this condition present with multiple complaints, and must always undergo thorough questioning to properly guide diagnosis and monitor treatment results.