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Tall Slim Girls Likely To Develop Endometriosis

By Modupeoluwa Adekanye

16 March 2020   |   2:03 pm

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According to a recent study, tall slim girls are more likely to develop a common condition that can cause infertility. Endometriosis, a condition that affects one in 10 women and makes it harder to become pregnant, was found to be more common in slender women of above-average height according to The Daily Mail. The study…

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According to a recent study, tall slim girls are more likely to develop a common condition that can cause infertility.

Endometriosis, a condition that affects one in 10 women and makes it harder to become pregnant, was found to be more common in slender women of above-average height according to The Daily Mail.

The study was based on research on more than 170,000 girls aged seven to 13.

Researchers suspect that the endometriosis is linked to higher levels of the sex hormone oestrogen, which increases height in girls but also triggers growth in tissues that lead to the condition.

According to Dr Julie Aarestrup, from Denmark’s Center for Clinical Research and Prevention:

A critical time window during which the disease develops is often missed, with women often experiencing diagnostic delays of several years. Our findings suggest that indicators of risk can be picked up at an earlier age, which might help speed up diagnosis so treatment can be started to slow the growth of endometrial tissue.

Little is known about the causes of endometriosis. The few established risk factors for endometriosis include menstruation starting at an early age, shorter cycles and a family history of the disease.

The researchers think the findings are most likely due to being caused by biological mechanisms as they were consistent across the 66-year period.

High levels of oestrogen trigger growth in height during puberty and is also known to promote the growth of endometrial cells.

The authors suggest oestrogen could be behind the positive association between the disease and being tall.

The research was published in the Annals of Human Biology journal.