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New research by a team of 91��Ƭ�� researchers has found that babies born to mothers with endometriosis face a small but measurably higher risk of birth defects compared to babies born to mothers without the condition.

The study, published in the is one of the largest of its kind, drawing on data from more than 1.4 million births in Ontario.

Co-author and master 91��Ƭ�� ’s student Bailey Milne emphasizes that while the difference is statistically significant, the overall risk remains low.

“Although we observed modest relative increases in risk, the absolute risk of congenital anomalies for infants born to patients with endometriosis remained low, because congenital anomalies are uncommon,” Milne says.

What the research found

Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, often causing pain and fertility challenges.

Of the 33,619 babies born to mothers with endometriosis in the study, 6.3 per cent had some form of congenital anomaly – commonly known as a birth defect – compared to 5.4 per cent of babies born to mothers without the condition. The types of anomalies observed included cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal conditions, as well as tumours. The research also found that fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) were associated with an additional increase in risk.

The study was conducted using data from ICES, an independent, non-profit research organization with access to Ontario's health data.

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Andrew Carroll | Media Relations Officer