September 8, 2026

Endometriosis may increase type 2 diabetes risk

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Endometriosis occurs when patches of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus, where a mother carries her baby, grow outside the uterus.

Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock

Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus or womb. Most of these patches of tissue are found in the pelvic region on the ovaries or the fallopian tubes. Symptoms of the common gynecological disease vary widely, ranging from no symptoms to severe pain and infertility.

Inflammation plays a role in endometriosis and type 2 diabetes. Previous research has not found significant links between the two conditions. But scientists do not know if the location of endometriosis patches affects type 2 diabetes risk. Some studies also suggest that the link between the two diseases may be stronger in certain subsets of women.

An NIH-funded research team led by Maggie Fuzak Nunziato and Dr. Anna Pollack of George Mason University set out to investigate this. They analyzed electronic health records of almost 3 million women who lived in Utah between 1996 and 2021. Almost 100,000 of those women received an endometriosis diagnosis during the study period. The study was published in Diabetologia on August 6, 2026.

The researchers found that women with endometriosis were 46% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The link between endometriosis and type 2 diabetes was stronger among women who had not yet started menopause. It was also stronger among women with body mass indexes lower than 30 kg/m², meaning women with underweight, healthy weight, or overweight but not obesity. 

When the results were broken down by location, endometriosis classified as ‘other site’ was linked with the greatest risk. This group represents a mix of types across locations, including outside the pelvis, such as the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal wall, or chest. Women with these types had more than twice the risk of type 2 diabetes as women without endometriosis.

The researchers also looked at the rate of gestational diabetes among the women. Some women can’t make enough insulin during pregnancy. This causes gestational diabetes, which also increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Among the women who’d had a baby, gestational diabetes history did not affect the link between endometriosis and type 2 diabetes.

The findings suggest that endometriosis may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, particularly among premenopausal women with lower body mass index. This group is traditionally considered to be at lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings may help identify women who could benefit from earlier diabetes screening or prevention strategies. But the researchers note that further study is needed.

“Our findings add to a growing understanding that endometriosis may affect more than reproductive health alone,” Fuzak Nunziato says. 

—by Amber Snyder

Related Links

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• Endometriosis types and ovarian cancer risk
• Early-life sugar intake affects chronic disease risk
• Intermittent fasting for weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gestational diabetes

References

Endometriosis subtypes and risk of type 2 diabetes: the Advancing Research on Cardiovascular Health and Endometriosis Study (ARCHES) retrospective cohort study. Fuzak Nunziato M, Yan B, Schliep KC, Farland LV, Varner MW, Krall JR, Rexrode K, Baradaran H, Brown B, Majersik JJ, Page J, Pollack AZ. Endometriosis subtypes and risk of type 2 diabetes: the Advancing Research on Cardiovascular Health and Endometriosis Study (ARCHES) retrospective cohort study. Diabetologia. 2026 Aug 6. doi: 10.1007/s00125-026-06828-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42560525

Funding

NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and National Center for Research Resources (NCRR); Utah Department of Health; University of Utah.