Can endometriosis be inherited?

Have you noticed several members of your family have endometriosis, or are you worried about whether you could pass this condition on to your daughter?

Well yes endometriosis can be hereditary, so having a family history of endometriosis increases your odds of developing the condition.

Several studies have shown that endometriosis appears more often in clusters of related individuals. Some research suggests that about 51 percent of endometriosis cases are at least partially due to genetics.
According to one study, having a first-degree family member (parent, child, or sibling) with endometriosis can make you 7 to 10 times more likely to develop the disease.

This recent research published in Nature suggests there are several genetic variations associated with the condition, highlighting that if you inherit these genes it makes you more likely to develop endometriosis. Effect sizes were largest for stage 3/4 disease, meaning those cases are more likely to have a genetic component.

Interestingly they also observed significant genetic correlations between genes that have been identified in endometriosis and 11 other pain conditions, including migraine, back pain as well as inflammatory conditions, including asthma and osteoarthritis.
However, genetic factors alone do not determine whether or not an individual will develop endometriosis. Environmental factors also play a role.

Is this something you are worried about?

References:
Matalliotakis IM et al, Familial aggregation of endometriosis in the Yale Series. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2008 Dec;278(6):507-11. doi: 10.1007/s00404-008-0644-1. Epub 2008 May 1. PMID: 18449556.

[kariblackwood]

I had a severe case of it and my daughter did as well. My Mom never had it but her sister did.