流行病学因素主要从患有盆腔疼痛和不孕的人群中推出。在行妇科手术(包括输卵管绝育术)的女性中,其患病率保守估计为1%到7%。[2]Sangi-Haghpeykar H, Poindexter AN. Epidemiology of endometriosis among parous women. Obstet Gynecol. 1995 Jun;85(6):983-92.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7770271?tool=bestpractice.com 但这些预估值可能具有误导性,因这项分析是在经产女性中进行的,而经产女性诊断为子宫内膜异位症的概率较低。
子宫内膜异位症的发现需要更彻底的检查,尤其对于并非因盆腔疼痛而行手术的患者。一项对于因慢性盆腔痛行阴式子宫切除术的病理标本的研究发现,子宫内膜异位症的发生率为8.3%。[3]Wheeler JM. Epidemiology of endometriosis-associated infertility J Reprod Med. 1989 Jan;34(1):41-6.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2704007?tool=bestpractice.com 更高的患病率常见于因盆腔疼痛(12%至70%)或不孕不育(9%至50%)行腹腔镜手术的患者,尤其是患有慢性疼痛同时药物治疗不敏感的青少年人群。[4]Missmer SA, Hankinson SE, Spiegelman D, et al. Reproductive history and endometriosis among premenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Nov;104(5 Pt 1):965-74.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15516386?tool=bestpractice.com[5]Guo SW, Wang Y. Sources of heterogeneities in estimating the prevalence of endometriosis in infertile and previously fertile women. Fertil Steril. 2006 Dec;86(6):1584-95.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17067588?tool=bestpractice.com[6]Laufer MR, Goitein L, Bush M, et al. Prevalence of endometriosis in adolescent girls with chronic pelvic pain not responding to conventional therapy. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 1997 Nov;10(4):199-202.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9391902?tool=bestpractice.com 这样大范围的估值差可用研究设计的异质性来解释,如近年来的研究采用了既往未建立的新的诊断标准。[5]Guo SW, Wang Y. Sources of heterogeneities in estimating the prevalence of endometriosis in infertile and previously fertile women. Fertil Steril. 2006 Dec;86(6):1584-95.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17067588?tool=bestpractice.com 结合术中所见及 MRI,一项来自 ENDO 研究工作组 (ENDO Study Working Group) 的流行病学研究发现,子宫内膜异位症的患病率可能远高于既往报道,并与不孕密切相关。[7]Peterson CM, Johnstone EB, Hammoud AO, et al. Risk factors associated with endometriosis: importance of study population for characterizing disease in the ENDO Study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Jun;208(6):451.e1-11.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23454253?tool=bestpractice.com
子宫内膜异位症主要影响育龄期女性,但各年龄段均有发病。不同于以往的经验,目前已有队列研究报告月经初潮前女孩患病,因此若该组人群伴有慢性盆腔痛,也应行子宫内膜异位症的评估。[8]Marsh EE, Laufer MR. Endometriosis in premenarcheal girls who do not have an associated obstructive anomaly. Fertil Steril. 2005 Mar;83(3):758-60.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15749511?tool=bestpractice.com 此外,子宫内膜异位症也可出现在绝经后女性。[9]Al Kadri H, Hassan S, Al-Fozan HM, et al. Hormone therapy for endometriosis and surgical menopause. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Jan 21;(1):CD005997.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19160262?tool=bestpractice.com 随着年龄增长,其症状可渐加重。[10]Berube S, Marcoux S, Maheux R. Characteristics related to the prevalence of minimal or mild endometriosis in infertile women. Canadian Collaborative Group on Endometriosis. Epidemiology. 1998 Sep;9(5):504-10.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9730028?tool=bestpractice.com 据报道,发病率高峰出现在 40 岁。[11]Vessey MP, Villard-Mackintosh L, Painter R. Epidemiology of endometriosis in women attending family planning clinics. BMJ. 1993 Jan 16;306(6871):182-4.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8338516?tool=bestpractice.com 一般认为,白人女性和体重指数较低的女性患病率较高。[4]Missmer SA, Hankinson SE, Spiegelman D, et al. Reproductive history and endometriosis among premenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Nov;104(5 Pt 1):965-74.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15516386?tool=bestpractice.com 由于该病的诊断依赖于手术所见,同时文献中关于盆腔疼痛的报道不一,导致该病的全球趋势统计亦不可靠。[12]Latthe P, Mignini L, Gray R, et al. Factors predisposing women to chronic pelvic pain: systematic review. BMJ. 2006 Apr 1;332(7544):749-55.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1420707/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16484239?tool=bestpractice.com