Risk variant associated with endometriosis

A genetic variant associated with risk of endometriosis ― a condition in which tissues that line the uterus grow in other areas of the body ― is reported in this week’s issue of Nature Genetics.

Endometriosis affects approximately six to ten percent of women of reproductive age and its symptoms include chronic pelvic pain, painful menstrual periods and infertility.

Krina Zondervan and colleagues report an analysis of 5586 patients with surgically confirmed endometriosis. The authors find that a genetic locus on chromosome 7p15.2 is associated with endometriosis in women of European ancestry.