Little is known about the incidence of endometriosis among Black women. Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue external to the uterine cavity and is common among reproductive-aged women.  We have been funded to study novel risk factors for endometriosis in both Black and White women, pooling data from the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) and Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), two large prospective cohort studies of U.S. women.  Risk factors of interest include autoimmune diseases, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, reproductive, and hormonal factors.

Investigators:

Lauren Wise, Sc.D., Principal Investigator (Slone)
Slone Epidemiology Center

Stacey A. Missmer, Sc.D., Principal Investigator (Harvard)
Harvard Medical School

Lynn Rosenberg, Sc.D., Co-Investigator
Slone Epidemiology Center

Study Staff:

Se Li, M.P.H.

Source of Funding:

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Study Period:

2009 – present