The association between BMI and risk of endometriosis-a meta-analysis

Objective: The objective of this meta-analysis was to systematically assess the association between BMI and endometriosis. Methods: Relevant studies were identified through searching PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases before August 2014. A random-effects model was derived to composite the pooled HR or OR. Results: 13 articles included in the final meta-analysis. When considering BMI as a continuous variable, pooled analysis indicated the risk of endometriosis was inversely associated with BMI (OR=0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98), but a significant heterogeneity was observed. When excluded one study with HR, the heterogeneity of pooled OR decreased. When considering BMI as a category variable, the pooled analysis presented an OR of 0.61 (95% CI 0.44 to 0.85). In subgroup with a BMI cutoff value from 21 to 23, the heterogeneity decreased to 0.0%. Conclusion: Our subgroup analysis indicated that the risk of endometriosis seems to be inversely associated with BMI. But the precise relationship needs further verification research in the future.