Women with endometriosis or painful periods were four to five times more likely to receive an STI diagnosis, a large Japanese study found.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the womb. Although not strictly a menstrual disorder, it can cause pain, irregular periods and infertility.

The study was led by researchers at the University of Yamanashi and funded by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.

The analysis examined health insurance claims from more than 3.4m women aged 40 or younger who had at least one healthcare visit during 2023.

Around 260,000 women, or 7.5 per cent of those included, had been diagnosed with endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea or both.

Dysmenorrhoea is the medical term for painful periods or menstrual cramps.

Women with endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea or both were four to five times more likely to have a recorded diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection, or STI, than women without the conditions.

Diagnoses were significantly more common across every category examined, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, genital herpes and other STIs.

Chlamydia was recorded in 3.5 per cent of women with menstruation-related conditions, compared with 0.7 per cent of those without them.

This represented a fivefold increase and the largest difference in prevalence between the two groups.

Gonorrhoea was diagnosed in 0.9 per cent of women with the conditions, compared with 0.2 per cent of those without them, also representing an increase of about five times.

Trichomoniasis, genital herpes and other STIs were diagnosed four to five times more often in women with endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea or both.

Women with endometriosis had the highest STI diagnosis rates overall.

Almost five per cent had a recorded chlamydia diagnosis, making it the most common STI in this group and more than seven times as prevalent as among women without menstruation-related conditions.

Women with dysmenorrhoea also had higher diagnosis rates for every STI included in the analysis.

The study found little evidence that hormonal treatments, including low-dose oestrogen-progestin therapy, affected STI diagnosis rates.

Differences between women who used hormonal treatment and those who did not were generally less than one percentage point.

Researchers suggested several possible explanations for the association between menstruation-related conditions and STI diagnoses.

One likely explanation is that women with endometriosis and dysmenorrhoea attend healthcare appointments more often.

As many STIs cause only mild symptoms, women seeking care more frequently for these conditions may be more likely to have infections detected.

Biological and behavioural factors may also play a part.

Menstruation-related conditions, particularly endometriosis, are associated with inflammation, pain during sex and sexual dysfunction, which could influence contraceptive practices and susceptibility to infection.

However, the authors said these possible explanations “remain speculative.”

They cautioned that differences in healthcare-seeking behaviour make it difficult to determine whether women with menstruation-related conditions acquire more infections or are simply more likely to receive a diagnosis.

The authors concluded that the findings underline the importance of STI screening and reproductive health education for women with endometriosis or painful periods.

Statins have been linked to more severe menopause symptoms and a higher risk of muscle loss in postmenopausal women, a study suggests.

The medicines are among the most widely prescribed in the world, with strong evidence supporting their use to lower cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular risk.

However, some recognised side effects may resemble symptoms associated with menopause, raising questions about how the two could interact.

The US Food and Drug Administration has flagged potential adverse effects linked to statin treatment, some of which overlap with menopausal complaints.

Researchers examined data from 1,184 postmenopausal women across nine Latin American countries, assessing menopausal symptoms, sarcopenia risk and cognitive function.

They compared women taking statins with non-users after accounting for factors including age and body weight.

As the study was cross-sectional, meaning it examined information collected at one point in time, it could identify associations but could not prove that statins caused the outcomes.

Women taking statins were 56 per cent more likely to have severe menopausal symptoms than those who were not using the medicines.

The difference remained after researchers accounted for other variables.

Statin users were also 65 per cent more likely to be at risk of sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is the gradual loss of muscle mass and physical function, which tends to accelerate after menopause.

Declining oestrogen levels already make muscle loss a concern at this stage of life. It is linked to a higher risk of falls, fractures and reduced quality of life.

Musculoskeletal symptoms were reported by 53.1 per cent of statin users, compared with 33.9 per cent of non-users.

Researchers said this was separate from the finding on sarcopenia risk and may point to a wider pattern of physical discomfort among women taking the medicines.

Women taking statins also recorded slightly lower scores in tests of delayed memory recall and visuospatial function.

Visuospatial function is the ability to understand the position of objects and their relationship to one another.

The study found no overall association between statin use and mild cognitive impairment, so the differences in individual tests are early signals rather than firm conclusions.

Researchers said effects associated with statins may overlap with menopausal symptoms and add to the overall symptom burden during midlife.

This means symptoms attributed to menopause and possible statin side effects may look similar and, in some cases, could compound one another.

Further research is needed to separate the possible effects of the medicines from symptoms linked to menopause.

The findings are not a reason for women to stop taking statins.

Their cardiovascular benefits are well established, and stopping treatment without medical guidance can carry serious risks.

The study provides more information about what statin treatment may mean specifically for postmenopausal women, who have historically been under-represented in cardiovascular research.

Women who notice more severe menopausal symptoms or changes in muscle strength or physical function while taking statins should discuss them with a doctor.

A healthcare professional may consider whether the symptoms could be related to the medication and whether screening for muscle loss is appropriate.

They may also review whether the current statin remains the most suitable option, as different statins can have different side-effect profiles.

Resistance training and consuming enough protein are well-supported ways to help preserve muscle mass during midlife.

Statins can be life-saving, but the findings suggest their possible side effects should receive greater attention in postmenopausal women.

The study adds to evidence supporting more individualised care for women during midlife.

WID-easy, the only non-invasive triage test for endometrial cancer in routine use in a European public health system, has been cited in Germany’s highest-tier clinical guidance; a marker that non-invasive detection is reaching clinical maturity.

The vaginal-swab test designed to spare women unnecessary invasive procedures has been referenced in the updated German S3 Guideline on Endometrial Cancer, its maker Sola Diagnostics has announced.

The Austria-based women’s-health diagnostics company behind the WID-easy Test, said the test now features in the recommendations-supporting background text of the guideline’s latest version (v4.0, May 2026; AWMF 032-034OL), in Section 4.3.

The S3 designation is the highest evidence- and consensus-based tier in the German clinical guideline system, broadly comparable in standing to NICE guidance in the UK, and is widely drawn on in clinical practice, reimbursement and liability assessments.

In Section 4.3, the guideline cites four peer-reviewed validation studies of the WID-easy Test and credits it with a sensitivity of more than 95 per cent and a negative predictive value of at least 99.7 per cent.

It describes a fall in invasive workup from 19 to two dilatation-and-curettage (D&C) procedures per cancer detected when compared with transvaginal ultrasound alone, assuming a realistic 3.4 per cent cancer prevalence in women with postmenopausal bleeding, and states that the test has the potential to improve the diagnostic workup of women with peri- and post-menopausal bleeding by cutting the rate of invasive procedures.

A growing burden, an imperfect standard

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in high-income countries, and its incidence is rising, driven by ageing populations and increasing obesity, making it one of the fastest-growing cancer burdens in women’s health.

A number of groups are now developing non-invasive tests for earlier detection. The current standard, transvaginal ultrasound, is an imperfect triage tool: it misses serous carcinomas and performs especially poorly in black women, a group with disproportionately high endometrial-cancer mortality.

WID-easy has been validated prospectively across multiple cohorts, including a dedicated cohort of black women in Ghana (Ken-Amoah et al., 2025).

Adopted in routine care

WID-easy is the only endometrial-cancer triage test in Europe with real-world adoption in a public health system. It is UKCA-marked and in use across NHS pilot sites in England and Scotland, and is delivered through commercial laboratory partners across the DACH region of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Its UK pivotal study, EASY-CARE, is funded by a competitively awarded NIHR i4i grant.

The postmenopausal bleeding pathway has been singled out for change across three UK Government strategy documents published in 2026 — the National Cancer Plan for England (DHSC), the renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England (DHSC) and the National HealthTech Access Programme (NICE).

The NICE initiative names speeding up access to better tools for detecting endometrial cancer in women with unexplained bleeding as one of only four priority areas.

WID-easy is the only non-invasive endometrial-cancer triage test that is UKCA-marked and commercially available for NHS use today, with no competing molecular test yet on the market.

“Seeing WID-easy referenced in a guideline of this standing confirms that the science behind non-invasive endometrial cancer detection has reached clinical maturity,” said Prof Martin Widschwendter, founder and member of the scientific advisory board at Sola Diagnostics.

“Our goal has always been to spare women unnecessary invasive procedures without missing the cancers that matter — and to do so equitably, across all populations.”

The WID-easy Test detects and triages endometrial cancer from a vaginal swab using DNA methylation. It is built on the WID-qEC biomarker, exclusively licensed from University College London Business and complemented by Sola’s own patent portfolio. The same methylation platform underpins a pipeline of further tests in cervical, ovarian and breast cancer.