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http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/04/health/womenshealth/04END.html

A Study of Endometriosis Brings Surprising Results

By ERIC NAGOURNEY

omen who engage in sexual activity or use tampons while menstruating seem to lower their chances of developing the painful condition known as endometriosis.

The discovery took researchers at Yale and Southern Connecticut State Universities by surprise. Endometriosis, which often plays a role in infertility, is thought to be associated with the amount of menstrual fluid that backs up. And researchers long assumed that tampon use and sexual activity would only worsen the backup.

Instead, sexual activity — specifically, having an orgasm — and tampons appear to help, according to the study, published in the current issue of Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation.

"We were definitely working from the opposite hypothesis," said Dr. Harvey J. Kliman of Yale, the senior author. The lead author was Erika L. Meaddough, then a graduate student at Yale.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue that normally grows in the uterus, where it is shed during menstruation, begins to grow elsewhere in the pelvis. It affects an estimated 10 million women in the United States.

The researchers found that sex and tampon use, rather than contributing to the backup of menstrual fluid in the pelvic cavity, probably had the reverse effect. "An orgasm probably does move debris, but instead of going backward it helps to get it out," Dr. Kliman said. "And the tampons seem to act like a wick."

The researchers surveyed more than 2,000 women to try to determine the role of sexual relations, tampon use and douching in menstruation.

Douching was found to have no effect.

Of the women surveyed who had endometriosis, about 26.5 percent said they sometimes or often had sex while menstruating. Among the other women, about 34 percent reported sexual activity during their periods.

The connection was even stronger for tampon use. Among women with the condition, about 11.6 percent reported using them. The figure jumped to more than 20 percent for women who did not have the condition. (The last figures are for women who use tampons only, not tampons and pads.)
 

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