Endometriosis and infertility
Surgery is more effective for infertility than medicinal intervention in endometriosis. One study has shown that surgical treatment of endometriosis approximately doubles the fecundity (pregnancy rate). The use of medical suppression after surgery for minimal/mild endometriosis has not shown benefits for patients with infertility. Use of fertility medication that stimulates ovulation (clomiphene citrate, gonadotropins) combined with intrauterine insemination (IUI) enhances fertility in these patients.
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds
The Endometriosis Research Center (ERC) has testified before the California State Legislature concerning Assembly Bill 2820 [Cardoza, D-Merced] that, "feminine hygiene products (i.e. tampons) do indeed test positive for Dioxin. Dioxin, in turn, is a well-documented catalyst for Endometriosis - and the effects of Dioxin are cumulative; able to be measured as much as 20 or 30 years after exposure." The ERC also references an independent study that found, in an assessment of four brands of tampons and four brands of baby diapers, dioxins "were present at detectable concentrations in all samples." The presence of this toxin in tampons may be linked to endometriosis because dioxins last a long time in the body; they are chemically stable and can be absorbed by fat tissue, where they are then stored in the body. Their half-life in the body is estimated to be 7 to 11 years.