This recent intriguing commentary suggests that endometriosis may be more common in women who wear tight fitting clothes. The author believes that endometriosis is accounted for by retrograde menstruation and then postulates that clothes which result in changes in the pressure within the abdomen could increase the chance of developing endometriosis. He notes that women in western societies who may wear tight clothes have higher rates of endometriosis than those in other countries, such as Africa, where women tend to wear loose fitting clothes.

The idea is interesting but there are two major problems. Firstly women in countries such as Africa rarely have laparoscopies therefore it is hardly surprisingly endometriosis is not diagnosed often. Secondly the retrograde menstruation theory does not explain many of the aspects of the disease – endometriosis does not move about the pelvis like dandelions in the wind as you would expect with this theory but tends to be always located in the same place and if it is completely removed it appears not to return. Don’t change your clothes just yet.