Endometriosis is the benign disease, where endometrial-like tissue is found in places other than the uterus1. Possible locations include the ovaries, fallopian tubes, peritoneum( the thin membrane that covers the pelvic organs), bowel, urinary tract (urinary bladder and ureters), as well as less common locations (such as nerves, diaphragm, abdominal wall, lungs). This hormone-sensitive disease (sensitive to oestrogens) affects around…
Endometriosis is a disease that often (and always in its deep form) causes distortion in the normal pelvic anatomy due to formation of adhesions1. This means that the disease itself as well as every effort to remove lesions laparoscopically can jeopardise organs such as the bowel, the bladder, the ureters (the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder) etc.…
We recognise 3 types of endometriosis. Of note, the 3 types are based on anatomic criteria (so to say, where the lesions of endometriosis are located), therefore, there is not always a clear correlation between the type of the disease and the type or severity of symptoms.
There is some evidence suggesting that endometriosis is an inherited disease: the risk of disease is 6-9% higher in 1st-degree relatives of women suffering from endometriosis1,2(The risk increases to 15% in cases of severe endometriosis3,4). In twin sisters, the frequency and age of onset of the disease are similar5. However, the identification of the genetic factors associated with the disease…
The focus in the modern management of endometriosis, in the recent years, has been shifted towards the creation of teams of healthcare professionals with expertise in the management of the disease, in a patient-centred approach1. Although each endometriosis centre may have a different team structure, we suggest a team that consists of an endometriosis surgeon, a colorectal surgeon, a urologist,…
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Endometriosis is a benign disease, however, does its presence increase the risk of ovarian cancer? Or, to ask differently, do ovarian cancers in women with endometriosis arise from the malignant transformation of endometriosis foci or not? A large number of studies has been published on this topic. One of the most interesting has been published recently, indicating that in women…
It is not clear how the disease evolves with time. In its deep form (DIE), it is likely that endometriosis is a progressive disease (getting progressively worse over time1). This only makes sense, if we accept that large lesions must have developed over a period of time. The rate of progress is unlikely to be fast2, but may vary between…
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The diagnosis of endometriosis is often difficult and this is secondary to a number of factors: Lack of awareness, incomplete understanding of the disease, heterogeneity of endometriosis, and co-existing diseases make the diagnosis complex. The mean delay from first symptom to diagnosis of endometriosis is around 8 years1. Many symptoms may first appear during adolescence and are often ignored as…
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