Researchers have discovered a new cause of fertility problems

Antibiotic treatment helped

in A study of 155 Japanese women The researchers found Fusobacterium strains in 64% of women with endometriosis and in 7% of women without the problem. Fusobacterium is found naturally in the oral cavity and intestines of humans.

In later experiments with mice with endometriosis, the researchers noted that antibiotic treatment reduced the extent and number of specific lesions that appeared associated with endometriosis.

associated with severe pain

“There are definitely some things that lead us to believe that bacteria are involved in endometriosis. It’s not just a matter of genes,” explains Elise Courtois, who researches endometriosis at the Jackson Laboratory in Farmington, Connecticut, USA.

The most common symptom associated with endometriosis is pain, which is often relatively severe. Current treatment options are hormonal therapy and surgery.

“We hope to find new avenues for treatment, but first we need to learn more about why some women develop this condition,” explains Yutaka Kondo, a cancer biologist at Nagoya University in Japan and one of the researchers behind the study.

Impaired fertility and increased risk of cancer

Endometriosis occurs when the mucous membrane (endometrium), which covers the inside of the uterus, migrates to other parts of the body, where it can grow aggressively. This applies above all to the organs in the pelvic region.

This often results in lesions of the reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries), which may be associated with reduced fertility. Women with lesions on the ovaries are more likely to develop ovarian cancer.

The next step would be to conduct a clinical study of women with endometriosis to see if treatment with antibiotic medication can treat these symptoms.