A search to identify genetic risk factors for endometriosis.

Problem: To search for molecular markers of endometriosis the following polymorphisms: p53 codon 72 Pro (apoptosis), TNF alpha-308 (inflammation), VEGF-1164AA (angiogenesis), and SOD2 (oxidative stress) were investigated.

Method Of Study: Forty-two women-24 with surgically proven endometriosis and 18 with no endometriosis found at the time of laparoscopy-had buccal swabs taken for DNA analyses of 4 gene polymorphisms including p53codon72, TNF-308 G/A, VEGF-1154G/A, SOD Ala16Val DNA. The frequencies of genotypes and alleles of these polymorphisms were compared between women with and without endometriosis.