Data show small rise in babies’ congenital anomaly risk

For babies born to people with endometriosis, there is a small but significant increased risk of congenital anomalies, often called birth defects, according to new research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Endometriosis is an often-painful chronic inflammatory condition where endometrial-like tissue grows outside the uterus. It affects 1 in 10 females of reproductive age and can affect fertility.

The study included data from ICES on more than 1.4 million births in Ontario, of which 33,619 were infants of patients with endometriosis. A total of 2,120 (6.3%) infants with any type of congenital anomaly were born to a patient with endometriosis compared with 77,094 (5.4%) born to people without the condition.

Endometriosis was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, genital, and musculoskeletal anomalies as well as neoplasms and tumors, which could be only partially attributed to fertility treatment.

The authors note that the risk is still small.

“Although we observed modest relative increases in risk, the absolute risk of congenital anomalies for infants born to patients with endometriosis remained low, because congenital anomalies are uncommon,” writes Bailey Milne, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, with co-authors.

A practice article published in the same issue of CMAJ describes a patient with chronic endometriosis that caused severe organ damage.

“These articles underscore the imperative for timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and greater awareness of endometriosis because of its potentially serious sequelae,” write Drs. Olga Bougie, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toronto, and Catherine Varner, CMAJ deputy editor, in a related editorial.

“However, endometriosis remains misunderstood, underrecognized, and undertreated in Canada.”

The editorial calls for a community-of-practice model for endometriosis care, with support for primary care physicians to diagnose and manage uncomplicated cases.

“Addressing these challenges requires a fundamental shift toward coordinated, evidence-based, and patient-centered care,” the authors write.

Who’s behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries.

Full profile →

Advertisements

Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

Full profile →