Overview
The ENDO and ARCHES studies investigate how endometriosis influences health across the lifespan. By combining clinical data, imaging, biologic markers, and large-scale population health records, our research aims to better understand the causes of endometriosis and its long-term effects on reproductive, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurologic health.
ARCHES brings together investigators from the University of Utah, University of Arizona, Intermountain Health, ARUP Laboratories, George Mason University, and Brigham and Women's Hospital to advance research on endometriosis and women's health.
Current Studies
Research Cohort (ENDO → ARCHES)
The ARCHES research cohort follows participants from the original ENDO Study to better understand long-term health outcomes associated with endometriosis.
As of August 2026: 507 original ENDO participants eligible for follow-up. 223 participants have completed at least one ARCHES study activity Extensive questionnaires, imaging, and biomarker data have been collected and integrated into a unified research dataset.
Population Cohort
ARCHES also includes a population-based cohort of approximately 2.9 million individuals, allowing researchers to evaluate long-term health outcomes associated with endometriosis using statewide health records.
Current work includes examining:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Metabolic health
- Chronic kidney disease
- Infertility
- Diagnostic delay
Featured Discoveries
Endometriosis and Ovarian Cancer Risk
Researchers from the ENDO Study contributed to a landmark investigation showing that ovarian cancer risk varies substantially by endometriosis subtype. The study found that women with ovarian endometriomas and deep infiltrating endometriosis experienced particularly elevated risks of ovarian cancer compared with women without endometriosis. These findings underscore the importance of recognizing endometriosis as a heterogeneous disease and may help improve future risk assessment and prevention strategies.
Endometriosis Typology and Ovarian Cancer Risk. JAMA, 2024.
This landmark study received widespread national attention and represents one of the largest investigations to date examining how specific endometriosis subtypes relate to future ovarian cancer risk.
Funding: Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Breast and Gynecologic Cancers Center Pilot Grant Program, population and pedigree insight into endometriosis, infertility, and women’s ovarian cancer risk, 2020-2021. Schliep/Maurer (MPI)
Endometriosis and Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Using data from nearly 3 million women in the Utah Population Database, ARCHES researchers found that women with endometriosis had a 46% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with women without endometriosis. The association varied across disease subtypes and was strongest among premenopausal women and those with lower baseline metabolic risk. These findings suggest that endometriosis may have important implications for long-term metabolic health.
Associations between endometriosis subtypes and type 2 diabetes within the Utah Population Database, 1996–2021
This study received broad media attention and highlighted how gynecologic conditions may influence chronic disease risk later in life.
Funding: Endometriosis Diagnosis and Subtypes, Reproductive History, and Cardiovascular Disease. NHLBI Endometriosis Diagnosis and Subtypes, Reproductive History, and Cardiovascular Disease. Project Number R01HL164715
Endometriosis Phenotypes and Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers
Not all forms of endometriosis appear to have the same long-term health implications. In the ENDO Cohort Study, researchers found that moderate-to-severe endometriosis and certain disease subtypes, particularly ovarian endometriomas and deep infiltrating endometriosis, were associated with more adverse lipid profiles. Elevated triglycerides, VLDL cholesterol, and ApoB levels may help explain previously observed links between endometriosis and cardiovascular disease risk.
Featured publication
Researchers observed that severe-stage disease and ovarian endometriosis phenotypes were associated with unfavorable lipid patterns linked to future cardiovascular disease risk.
Why This Research Matters
Endometriosis affects approximately 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years. Historically, research has focused on pain, infertility, and quality of life. ARCHES expands this understanding by examining how