Endometriosis: Age at Diagnosis and Disease Severity
Is there a link between age at diagnosis of endometriosis and disease severity? What does research suggest? In this article, I am reviewing a relevant paper by Comptour et al. (1), a prospective study with data collected between 2004 and 2012, aiming to identify a possible correlation between age at diagnosis and severity of […]
Vitamin D and Endometriosis
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone produced mostly as a result of exposure to UV light and regulates the levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood (1). Except its role in bone health, studies have demonstrated its role in human reproduction, with 15% of subfertile couples having low vitamin D levels (2), as […]
Endometriosis and other diseases
Many things have been written as to whether patients with endometriosis have higher risk of developing other diseases. One of these diseases is adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is the condition in which cells from the lining of the womb (endometrium) are found with the muscular wall of the uterus (myometrium). We recognise 2 types, focal and diffuse. […]
Stages of Endometriosis
Other than the 3 types of disease, we also have stages of endometriosis. As we now know, endometriosis is a heterogeneous disease and, therefore, staging of endometriosis is not always an easy task. This is why there are, up to this date, more than one staging systems of endometriosis. The 3 most commonly used are: […]
What is the cause of Endometriosis?
There is no commonly accepted aetiology of the disease. Endometriosis is a complex, heterogeneous and multifactorial disease, in which are involved hormonal, genetic, environmental and immunologic factors. The most likely theories are: What is more, the disease could be associated with the following: In conclusion, it is not very clear what causes endometriosis. It is […]
What is Endometriosis?
Ενδομητρίωση (endometriosis) είναι η καλοήθης νόσος στην οποία ιστός, παρόμοιος με αυτόν του ενδομητρίου που επενδύει το εσωτερικό τοίχωμα της μήτρας (endometrial-like tissue), βρίσκεται εκτός της μήτρας (1). Πιθανές εστίες είναι οι οωθήκες, οι σάλπιγγες, το περιτόναιο (διάφανος υμένας που καλύπτει τα όργανα της πυέλου), το έντερο, το ουροποιητικό σύστημα (ουροδόχος κύστη κι ουρητήρες) καθώς […]
The 3 types of Endometriosis
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. Superficial Peritoneal Lesions (SUP): This is considered […]
Inheritance and environmental factors in Endometriosis
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 […]