Abstract
Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder that may cause chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and metabolic disorders. Sarcopenia, a progressive skeletal muscle loss, often affects older adults. This study explored the incidence and risk factors for sarcopenia in endometriosis patients using the NHANES dataset, enrolling 373 participants. Endometriosis was confirmed via self-report questionnaire, while sarcopenia was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Covariates included age, race, marital status, education level, poverty income ratio, smoking habits, and health conditions. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 26.0, employing four multivariate regression models. The average age was 40.3 and 40.0 years in endometriotic participants with and without sarcopenia, respectively. Minority ethnicity had higher odds for sarcopenia (OR 6.00, 95% CI 1.24–29.07). Endometriosis duration less than five years was associated with higher sarcopenia risk (OR 4.83, 95% CI 2.57–9.09). Lower educational levels were linked to a reduced chance of developing sarcopenia (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21–0.86). These findings were consistent across all regression models, suggesting that endometriosis patients with ethnic minority status, higher educational degrees, and shorter disease duration were more likely to have concurrent sarcopenia.