‘Disgusting’ study rating attractiveness of women with endometriosis retracted by medical journal (2020)

[Cheshire]

Fertility and Sterility took seven years to take down Italian study, which was criticised by doctors for ethical concerns and dubious justifications

A widely criticised peer-reviewed study that measured the attractiveness of women with endometriosis has been retracted from the medical journal Fertility and Sterility.

The study, Attractiveness of women with rectovaginal endometriosis: a case-control study, was first published in 2013 and has been defended by the authors and the journal in the intervening years despite heavy criticism from doctors, other researchers and people with endometriosis for its ethical concerns and dubious justifications, with one advocate calling the study “heartbreaking” and “disgusting”.

https://www.theguardian.com/society..._medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1596614249

Leonid Schneider's take on this

Undress, the doctors will see you now
https://forbetterscience.com/2019/08/15/undress-the-doctors-will-see-you-now/

 

[chrisb]

One can only hope that this was a study to see what peer reviewers would accept and journals publish.

 

[Saz94]

Wtf

 

[Dolphin]

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)02127-9/abstract

 

[Leila]

Wow, this is really cringey and shows the long history of misogony in this illness..

I remember having come across hypotheses that connected endometriosis to attractiveness due to higher estrogen levels (estrogen is "feeding" endo). But there's no proof at all and it doesn't add any value to diagnosis and treatment.

That's what studies should focus on, what a waste of time and money and what a shame the paper was accepted in the first place let alone the unethical setting..

Edit: And I see female names being authors, how can they participate in this?

 

[Oni]

A surreal and nauseating affair.

While the study has been retracted, no formal apology has been given to the participants. This is likely to happen again.

 

[Arnie Pye]

A total of 31 of 100 women in the rectovaginal endometriosis group (cases) were judged as attractive or very attractive, compared with 8 of 100 in the peritoneal and ovarian endometriosis group

I had both kinds of endometriosis - maybe they would have included me in one group on a bad hair day and in the other group on a good hair day.

 

[Invisible Woman]

it doesn't add any value to diagnosis and treatment.

No, it doesn't. It doesn't even add to academic knowledge of the disease. Complete waste of funds. This is an abuse of the role of gynaecologist and researcher.

What's more, it makes one question - all those women who gave intimate details to these guys in the hopes of getting help. All that pain, suffering & heartache and still they see fit to do this. Shameful.

I see female names being authors, how can they participate in this?

History is littered with women who collude with the abuse, manipulation and control of other women. In seeking to improve or maintain their own status, to be "other" than the women kept in place they can be as abusive as men.

One chap argues the study is okay because some of the evaluators are women. No. It's abuse regardless of whether the abuser is male or female. Those women are as bad, if not worse, than the men because their actions say it's okay to behave like this to other women, just not to me.

 

[MEMarge]

I have a friend who is a doctor who has endometriosis. I wonder what docsnet is saying about this.

 

[Leila]

Forget asking about symptoms or doing medical examinations - eye measure hip to waist ratio and creepily ask your young patient about
first intercourse. There you got your diagnosis.