Prevalence Ratio of Body Mass Index and Age at Menarche with Endometriosis Among Gynecology Patients: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disorder characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterine cavity, often accompanied by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Age at menarche and body mass index (BMI) have been proposed as factors associated with endometriosis, yet earlier findings remain inconsistent. This study examined the association between age at menarche, BMI, and he presence of endometriosis. This observational analytic study used secondary data from medical records of gynecology patients at Fatmawati Central General Hospital, Jakarta. Sixty-nine records that met the eligibility criteria were included consecutively. Endometriosis status served as the outcome, while age at menarche and BMI were the independent variables. Data were summarized descriptively and analyzed with the chi-square test; associations were expressed as prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p < 0.05 was considered statistically. Most participants were older than 40 years (62.3%), had menarche after 13 years (63.8%), and had an abnormal BMI (62.3%); endometriosis was documented in 43.5% of the records. Results found no significant association was observed between age at menarche and endometriosis (p = 0.947; PR = 0.947; 95% CI: 0.640-1.519). Abnormal BMI, by contrast, was significantly associated with endometriosis (p = 0.031; PR = 1.571; 95% CI: 1.057-2.336), with a prevalence 1.57 times higher than among women with normal BMI. In this hospital-based sample, abnormal BMI was associated with a higher prevalence of endometriosis, but because this was a cross-sectional design, age at menarche was not given and causal interpretation is not warranted.