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'''Endometriosis''' is a condition in which [[cells]] similar to those in the [[endometrium]], the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside of it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/Pages/default.aspx|title=Endometriosis: Overview|website=www.nichd.nih.gov|language=en-US|access-date=20 May 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518203025/https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/Pages/default.aspx|archivedate=18 May 2017|df=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/conditioninfo/Pages/default.aspx|title=Endometriosis: Condition Information|website=www.nichd.nih.gov|language=en-US|access-date=20 May 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430215956/https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/conditioninfo/Pages/default.aspx|archivedate=30 April 2017|df=}}</ref> Most often this is on the [[ovaries]], [[Fallopian tube]]s, and tissue around the uterus and ovaries; however, in rare cases it may also occur in other parts of the body.<ref name=WH2014/> The main symptoms are [[pelvic pain]] and [[endometriosis and infertility|infertility]].<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Nearly half of those affected have [[chronic pelvic pain]], while in 70% pain occurs during [[menstruation]].<ref name=Bulletti2010/> [[Dyspareunia|Pain during sexual intercourse]] is also common.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Infertility occurs in up to half of women affected.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Less common symptoms include urinary or bowel symptoms.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> About 25% of women have no symptoms.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Endometriosis can have both social and psychological effects.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Culley L, Law C, Hudson N, Denny E, Mitchell H, Baumgarten M, Raine-Fenning N | title = The social and psychological impact of endometriosis on women's lives: a critical narrative review | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 19 | issue = 6 | pages = 625–39 | date = 1 November 2013 | pmid = 23884896 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmt027 }}</ref>


The cause is not entirely clear.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Risk factors include having a family history of the condition.<ref name=WH2014/> The areas of endometriosis bleed each month, resulting in inflammation and scarring.<ref name=Bulletti2010/><ref name=WH2014/> The growths due to endometriosis are not [[cancer]].<ref name=WH2014/> Diagnosis is usually based on symptoms in combination with [[medical imaging]],<ref name=WH2014/> however, [[biopsy]] is the most sure method of diagnosis.<ref name=WH2014/> Other causes of similar symptoms include [[pelvic inflammatory disease]], [[irritable bowel syndrome]], [[interstitial cystitis]], and [[fibromyalgia]].<ref name=Bulletti2010/>
L''''endometriosi''' consisteix en l'aparició i creixement de teixit [[endometri]]al fora de l'interior de l'[[úter]], sobretot en la cavitat pelviana com en els [[ovaris]], darrere de l'úter, en els lligaments uterins, en la [[bufeta urinària]] o en l'[[intestí]]. És menys freqüent que l'endometriosi aparegui fora de l'[[abdomen]] com en els [[pulmons]] o en altres parts del cos.<ref>{{cita web|url=http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.cfm|título=Endometriosis fact sheet|fechaacceso=12 de febrero de 2013|editorial=NIH}}</ref>


Tentative evidence suggests that the use of [[combined oral contraceptive pill|combined oral contraceptives]] reduces the risk of endometriosis.<ref name=Ver2011>{{cite journal | vauthors = Vercellini P, Eskenazi B, Consonni D, Somigliana E, Parazzini F, Abbiati A, Fedele L | title = Oral contraceptives and risk of endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 17 | issue = 2 | pages = 159–70 | date = 1 March 2011 | pmid = 20833638 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmq042 }}</ref> Exercise and avoiding large amounts of alcohol may also be preventive.<ref name=WH2014/> There is no cure for endometriosis but a number of treatments may improve symptoms.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> This may include [[pain medication]], hormonal treatments or surgery.<ref name=WH2014/> The recommended pain medication is usually a [[non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug]] (NSAID), such as [[naproxen]].<ref name=WH2014/> Taking the active component of the birth control pill continuously or using an [[intrauterine device with progestogen]] may also be useful.<ref name=WH2014/> [[Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist]] may improve the ability of those who are infertile to get [[pregnant]].<ref name=WH2014/> Surgical removal of endometriosis may be used to treat those whose symptoms are not manageable with other treatments.<ref name=WH2014>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/endometriosis|title=Endometriosis|website=womenshealth.gov|language=en|date=13 February 2017|access-date=20 May 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513091846/https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/endometriosis|archivedate=13 May 2017|df=}}</ref>
L'endometriosi és una malaltia relativament freqüent, que pot afectar qualsevol dona en edat fèrtil, des de la [[menarquia]] fins a la [[menopausa]], molt rarament pot durar fins després de la menopausa.


One estimate is that 10.8 million people are affected globally as of 2015.<ref name=GBD2015Pre/> Other sources estimate about 6–10% of women are affected.<ref name=Bulletti2010>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bulletti C, Coccia ME, Battistoni S, Borini A | title = Endometriosis and infertility | journal = Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics | volume = 27 | issue = 8 | pages = 441–7 | date = August 2010 | pmid = 20574791 | pmc = 2941592 | doi = 10.1007/s10815-010-9436-1 }}</ref> Endometriosis is most common in those in their thirties and forties; however, it can begin in girls as early as 8 years old.<ref name=WH2014/><ref name=Mc2013>{{cite book|last1=McGrath|first1=Patrick J.|last2=Stevens|first2=Bonnie J.|last3=Walker|first3=Suellen M.|last4=Zempsky|first4=William T. | name-list-format = vanc |title=Oxford Textbook of Paediatric Pain|date=2013|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=9780199642656|page=300|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWyrAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA300|language=en|deadurl=no|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910181816/https://books.google.com/books?id=xWyrAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA300|archive-date=2017-09-10|df=}}</ref> It results in few deaths.<ref name=GDB2013>{{cite journal | vauthors = ((GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators)) | title = Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 | journal = Lancet | volume = 385 | issue = 9963 | pages = 117–71 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25530442 | pmc = 4340604 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2 }}</ref> Endometriosis was first determined to be a separate condition in the 1920s.<ref name=Bro2012/> Before that time, endometriosis and [[adenomyosis]] were considered together.<ref name=Bro2012/> It is unclear who first described the disease.<ref name=Bro2012>{{cite book| vauthors = Brosens I |title=Endometriosis: Science and Practice|date=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781444398496|page=3 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Wu0gfwFUfz8C&pg=PA3 }}</ref>
==Simptomatologia==
{{TOC limit|3}}


==History==
La [[dismenorrea]] és el símptoma clau (si la implantació és genital o abdominal baixa) i sol ser intensa. Segons la localització poden aparèixer altres símptomes.
Endometriosis was first discovered microscopically by [[Carl von Rokitansky|Karl von Rokitansky]] in 1860,<ref name=batt>{{cite book|last=Batt|first=Ronald E.|title=A history of endometriosis|year=2011|publisher=Springer|location=London|isbn=978-0-85729-585-9|pages=13–38|url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-0-85729-585-9}}</ref> although it was documented in medical texts more than 4,000 years ago.<ref name=nezhat>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nezhat C, Nezhat F, Nezhat C | title = Endometriosis: ancient disease, ancient treatments | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 98 | issue = 6 Suppl | pages = S1-62 | date = December 2012 | pmid = 23084567 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.08.001 }}</ref> The [[Hippocratic Corpus]] outlines symptoms similar to endometriosis, including uterine ulcers, adhesions, and infertility.<ref name=nezhat/> Historically, women with these symptoms were treated with [[leech]]es, [[straitjacket]]s, [[bloodletting]], chemical [[douche]]s, [[Female genital mutilation|genital mutilation]], [[pregnancy]] (as a form of treatment), hanging upside down, surgical intervention, and even killing due to suspicion of [[demonic possession]].<ref name=nezhat/> Hippocratic doctors recognized and treated chronic pelvic pain as a true organic disorder 2,500 years ago, but during the Middle Ages, there was a shift into believing that women with pelvic pain were mad, immoral, imagining the pain, or simply misbehaving.<ref name=nezhat/> The symptoms of inexplicable chronic pelvic pain were often attributed to imagined madness, female weakness, promiscuity, or hysteria.<ref name=nezhat/> The historical diagnosis of hysteria, which was thought to be a psychological disease, may have indeed been endometriosis.<ref name=nezhat/> The idea that chronic pelvic pain was related to mental illness influenced modern attitudes regarding women with endometriosis, leading to delays in correct diagnosis and indifference to the patients' true pain during the 20th century.<ref name=nezhat/>


Hippocratic doctors believed that delaying childbearing could trigger diseases of the uterus, which caused endometriosis-like symptoms. Women with dysmenorrhea were encouraged to marry and have children at a young age.<ref name=nezhat/> The fact that Hippocratics were recommending changes in marriage practices due to an endometriosis-like illness implies that this disease was likely common, with rates higher than the 5-15% prevalence that is often cited today.<ref name=nezhat/> If indeed this disorder was so common historically, this may point away from modern theories that suggest links between endometriosis and dioxins, PCBs, and chemicals.<ref name=nezhat/>
==Diagnòstic==
[[Fitxer:Perforierte Endometriosezyste.jpg|thumb|Endometriosi de l'ovari esquerre en una visió laparoscòpica, on es pot veure d'esquerra a dreta: l'ovari, la trompa de Fal·lopi i la matriu]]
[[Ecografia]], [[ressonància magnètica nuclear]], [[laparoscòpia]].


==Signs and symptoms==
==Tractament==
[[File:Blausen 0349 Endometriosis.png|thumb|Drawing showing endometriosis]]
Pain and infertility are common symptoms, although 20-25% of women are asymptomatic.<ref name=Bulletti2010/>


===Mèdic===
===Pelvic pain===
A major symptom of endometriosis is recurring [[pelvic pain]]. The pain can range from mild to severe cramping or stabbing pain that occurs on both sides of the pelvis, in the lower back and rectal area, and even down the legs. The amount of pain a woman feels correlates weakly with the extent or stage (1 through 4) of endometriosis, with some women having little or no pain despite having extensive endometriosis or endometriosis with scarring, while other women may have severe pain even though they have only a few small areas of endometriosis.<ref name=Stratton2011>{{cite journal | vauthors = Stratton P, Berkley KJ | title = Chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis: translational evidence of the relationship and implications | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 17 | issue = 3 | pages = 327–46 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21106492 | pmc = 3072022 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmq050 }}</ref> Symptoms of endometriosis-related pain may include:
*Antiàlgic: [[antiinflamatori no esteroïdal|antiinflamatoris no esteroïdals]].
* [[dysmenorrhea]] – painful, sometimes disabling cramps during the menstrual period; pain may get worse over time (progressive pain), also lower back pains linked to the pelvis
*Hormonal: [[Píndola_anticonceptiva|anticonceptius orals]] i agonistes de l'[[hormona alliberadora de la gonadotropina]].
* [[chronic pelvic pain]] – typically accompanied by lower back pain or abdominal pain
* [[dyspareunia]] – painful sex
* [[dysuria]] – urinary urgency, frequency, and sometimes painful voiding
Compared with women with superficial endometriosis, those with deep disease appear to be more likely to report shooting rectal pain and a sense of their insides being pulled down.<ref name="Ballard">{{cite journal | vauthors = Ballard K, Lane H, Hudelist G, Banerjee S, Wright J | title = Can specific pain symptoms help in the diagnosis of endometriosis? A cohort study of women with chronic pelvic pain | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 94 | issue = 1 | pages = 20–7 | date = June 2010 | pmid = 19342028 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.01.164 }}</ref> Individual pain areas and pain intensity appear to be unrelated to the surgical diagnosis, and the area of pain unrelated to area of endometriosis.<ref name=Ballard/>


There are multiple causes of pain. Endometriosis lesions react to hormonal stimulation and may "bleed" at the time of menstruation. The blood accumulates locally if it is not cleared shortly by the immune, circulatory, and lymphatic system. This may further lead to swelling, which triggers inflammation with the activation of [[cytokines]], which results in pain. Another source of pain is the organ dislocation that arises from [[adhesions|adhesion]] binding internal organs to each other. The ovaries, the uterus, the oviducts, the peritoneum, and the bladder can be bound together. Pain triggered in this way can last throughout the menstrual cycle, not just during menstrual periods.<ref>{{page needed|date=April 2015}}{{cite book|vauthors=Murray MT, Pizzorno J |title=The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine|date=2012|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York, NY|edition=3rd}}</ref>
===Quirúrgic===

Orientat a extirpar el teixit endometrial ectòpic.
Also, endometriotic lesions can develop their own nerve supply, thereby creating a direct and two-way interaction between lesions and the [[central nervous system]], potentially producing a variety of individual differences in pain that can, in some women, become independent of the disease itself.<ref name=Stratton2011/> Nerve fibres and blood vessels are thought to grow into endometriosis lesions by a process known as [[neuroangiogenesis]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Asante A, Taylor RN | title = Endometriosis: the role of neuroangiogenesis | journal = Annual Review of Physiology | volume = 73 | pages = 163–82 | date = 2011 | pmid = 21054165 | doi = 10.1146/annurev-physiol-012110-142158 }}<!--|accessdate=14 October 2015--></ref>

===Infertility===
{{Main article|Endometriosis and infertility}}
About a third of women with [[infertility]] have endometriosis.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Among women with endometriosis about 40% are infertile.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> The pathogenesis of infertility is dependent on the stage of disease: in early stage disease, it is hypothesised that this is secondary to an inflammatory response that impairs various aspects of conception, whereas in later stage disease distorted pelvic anatomy and adhesions contribute to impaired fertilisation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uptodate.com/contents/treatment-of-infertility-in-women-with-endometriosis?sectionName=PATHOGENESIS%20OF%20INFERTILITY%20FROM%20ENDOMETRIOSIS&anchor=H2&source=see_link#H2|title=Treatment of infertility in women with endometriosis|website=www.uptodate.com|access-date=2017-12-18}}</ref>

===Other===
Other symptoms include diarrhea or [[constipation]],<ref name=Ballard/> chronic fatigue,{{mcn|date=April 2015}} nausea and vomiting, headaches, low-grade fevers, heavy and/or irregular periods, and hypoglycemia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wolthuis |first1=Albert M |last2=Meuleman |first2=Christel |last3=Tomassetti |first3=Carla |last4=D’Hooghe |first4=Thomas |last5=de Buck van Overstraeten |first5=Anthony |last6=D’Hoore |first6=André |title=Bowel endometriosis: Colorectal surgeon’s perspective in a multidisciplinary surgical team |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4229526/ |website=World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG |pages=15616–15623 |doi=10.3748/wjg.v20.i42.15616 |date=14 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Arbique D, Carter S, Van Sell S | title = Endometriosis can evade diagnosis | journal = Rn | volume = 71 | issue = 9 | pages = 28–32; quiz 33 | date = September 2008 | pmid = 18833741 }}</ref>

In addition to pain during menstruation, the pain of endometriosis can occur at other times of the month. There can be a pain with ovulation, pain associated with adhesions, pain caused by inflammation in the pelvic cavity, pain during bowel movements and urination, during general bodily movement like exercise, pain from standing or walking, and pain with intercourse. The most severe pain is typically associated with menstruation. Pain can also start a week before a menstrual period, during and even a week after a menstrual period, or it can be constant. The pain can be debilitating and the emotional stress can take a toll.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Colette S, Donnez J | title = Are aromatase inhibitors effective in endometriosis treatment? | journal = Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs | volume = 20 | issue = 7 | pages = 917–31 | date = July 2011 | pmid = 21529311 | doi = 10.1517/13543784.2011.581226 }}</ref>

There is an association between endometriosis and certain types of cancers, notably some types of [[ovarian cancer]],<ref name="pmid22361336">{{cite journal | vauthors = Pearce CL, Templeman C, Rossing MA, Lee A, Near AM, Webb PM, Nagle CM, Doherty JA, Cushing-Haugen KL, Wicklund KG, Chang-Claude J, Hein R, Lurie G, Wilkens LR, Carney ME, Goodman MT, Moysich K, Kjaer SK, Hogdall E, Jensen A, Goode EL, Fridley BL, Larson MC, Schildkraut JM, Palmieri RT, Cramer DW, Terry KL, Vitonis AF, Titus LJ, Ziogas A, Brewster W, Anton-Culver H, Gentry-Maharaj A, Ramus SJ, Anderson AR, Brueggmann D, Fasching PA, Gayther SA, Huntsman DG, Menon U, Ness RB, Pike MC, Risch H, Wu AH, Berchuck A | display-authors = 6 | title = Association between endometriosis and risk of histological subtypes of ovarian cancer: a pooled analysis of case-control studies | journal = The Lancet. Oncology | volume = 13 | issue = 4 | pages = 385–94 | date = April 2012 | pmid = 22361336 | pmc = 3664011 | doi = 10.1016/S1470-2045(11)70404-1 }}</ref><ref>Nezhat F. [http://hcp.obgyn.net/endometriosis/content/article/1760982/2066478 Article by Prof. Farr Nezhat, MD, FACOG, FACS, University of Columbia, May 1, 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102233810/http://hcp.obgyn.net/endometriosis/content/article/1760982/2066478 |date=November 2, 2012 }}</ref> [[non-Hodgkin's lymphoma]] and [[brain cancer]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Audebert A | title = [Women with endometriosis: are they different from others?] | language = French | journal = Gynecologie, Obstetrique & Fertilite | volume = 33 | issue = 4 | pages = 239–46 | date = April 2005 | pmid = 15894210 | doi = 10.1016/j.gyobfe.2005.03.010 | trans-title = Women with endometriosis: are they different from others? }}</ref> Endometriosis is unrelated to [[endometrial cancer]].<ref name="pmid21925719">{{cite journal | vauthors = Rowlands IJ, Nagle CM, Spurdle AB, Webb PM | title = Gynecological conditions and the risk of endometrial cancer | journal = Gynecologic Oncology | volume = 123 | issue = 3 | pages = 537–41 | date = December 2011 | pmid = 21925719 | doi = 10.1016/j.ygyno.2011.08.022}}</ref>

==Risk factors==
The cause is not entirely clear.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> Risk factors include having a family history of the condition.<ref name=WH2014/>

===Genetics===
Genetic predisposition plays a role.<ref name=Fauser2011/> Daughters or sisters of women with endometriosis are at higher risk of developing endometriosis themselves; low progesterone levels may be genetic, and may contribute to a hormone imbalance.<ref name=emed>Kapoor D, Davila W (2005). [http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3419.htm Endometriosis,] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111045258/http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic3419.htm |date=2007-11-11 }} ''eMedicine''.</ref> There is an about six-fold increased incidence in women with an affected first-degree relative.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Giudice LC, Kao LC | title = Endometriosis | journal = Lancet | volume = 364 | issue = 9447 | pages = 1789–99 | year = 2004 | pmid = 15541453 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17403-5 }}</ref>

It has been proposed that endometriosis results from a series of multiple hits within target genes, in a mechanism similar to the development of cancer.<ref name=Fauser2011/> In this case, the initial mutation may be either somatic or heritable.<ref name=Fauser2011/>

Individual genomic changes (found by [[genotyping]] including [[genome-wide association study|genome-wide association studies]]) that have been associated with endometriosis include:
*Changes on [[chromosome 1]] near [[WNT4]]<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014"/>
*Changes on [[chromosome 2]] near GREB1<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014"/>
*Changes on [[chromosome 6]] near [[ID4]]<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014"/>
*Changes on [[chromosome 7]] in the 7p15.2 region<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Rahmioglu N, Nyholt DR, Morris AP, Missmer SA, Montgomery GW, Zondervan KT | title = Genetic variants underlying risk of endometriosis: insights from meta-analysis of eight genome-wide association and replication datasets | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 20 | issue = 5 | pages = 702–16 | year = 2014 | pmid = 24676469 | pmc = 4132588 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmu015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Painter JN, Anderson CA, Nyholt DR, Macgregor S, Lin J, Lee SH, Lambert A, Zhao ZZ, Roseman F, Guo Q, Gordon SD, Wallace L, Henders AK, Visscher PM, Kraft P, Martin NG, Morris AP, Treloar SA, Kennedy SH, Missmer SA, Montgomery GW, Zondervan KT | title = Genome-wide association study identifies a locus at 7p15.2 associated with endometriosis | journal = Nature Genetics | volume = 43 | issue = 1 | pages = 51–4 | date = January 2011 | pmid = 21151130 | pmc = 3019124 | doi = 10.1038/ng.731 }}</ref>
*Changes on [[chromosome 9]] near [[CDKN2BAS]]<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014"/>
*Changes on [[chromosome 10]] at region 10q26<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Treloar SA, Wicks J, Nyholt DR, Montgomery GW, Bahlo M, Smith V, Dawson G, Mackay IJ, Weeks DE, Bennett ST, Carey A, Ewen-White KR, Duffy DL, O'connor DT, Barlow DH, Martin NG, Kennedy SH | title = Genomewide linkage study in 1,176 affected sister pair families identifies a significant susceptibility locus for endometriosis on chromosome 10q26 | journal = American Journal of Human Genetics | volume = 77 | issue = 3 | pages = 365–76 | date = September 2005 | pmid = 16080113 | pmc = 1226203 | doi = 10.1086/432960 }}</ref>
*Changes on [[chromosome 12]] near [[VEZT]]<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014"/>

In addition, there is a weaker association with changes in the [[fibronectin]] gene as well as in the 2p14 region of [[chromosome 2]].<ref name="RahmiogluNyholt2014"/>

There are many findings of altered [[gene expression]] and [[epigenetics]], but both of these can also be a secondary result of, for example, environmental factors and altered metabolism. Examples of altered gene expression include that of [[miRNA]]s.<ref name=Fauser2011/>

===Environmental toxins===
Some factors associated with endometriosis include:
* not having given birth ([[Gravidity and parity|nulliparity]])<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sinaii N, Plumb K, Cotton L, Lambert A, Kennedy S, Zondervan K, Stratton P | title = Differences in characteristics among 1,000 women with endometriosis based on extent of disease | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 89 | issue = 3 | pages = 538–45 | date = March 2008 | pmid = 17498711 | pmc = 2939902 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.03.069 }}</ref>
* prolonged exposure to estrogen; for example, in late menopause<ref name="Clinical practice. Endometriosis">{{cite journal | vauthors = Giudice LC | title = Clinical practice. Endometriosis | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 362 | issue = 25 | pages = 2389–98 | date = June 2010 | pmid = 20573927 | pmc = 3108065 | doi = 10.1056/NEJMcp1000274 }}</ref> or early menarche<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Treloar SA, Bell TA, Nagle CM, Purdie DM, Green AC | title = Early menstrual characteristics associated with subsequent diagnosis of endometriosis | journal = American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 202 | issue = 6 | pages = 534.e1-6 | date = June 2010 | pmid = 20022587 | doi = 10.1016/j.ajog.2009.10.857 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nnoaham KE, Webster P, Kumbang J, Kennedy SH, Zondervan KT | title = Is early age at menarche a risk factor for endometriosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of&nbsp;case-control studies | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 98 | issue = 3 | pages = 702–712.e6 | date = September 2012 | pmid = 22728052 | pmc = 3502866 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.05.035 }}</ref>
* obstruction of menstrual outflow; for example, in Müllerian anomalies<ref name="Clinical practice. Endometriosis"/>

Several studies have investigated the potential link between exposure to [[dioxin]]s and endometriosis, but the evidence is equivocal and potential mechanisms are poorly understood.<ref name="pmid17981650">{{cite journal | vauthors = Anger DL, Foster WG | title = The link between environmental toxicant exposure and endometriosis | journal = Frontiers in Bioscience | volume = 13 | issue = | pages = 1578–93 | date = January 2008 | pmid = 17981650 | doi = 10.2741/2782 }}</ref> A 2004 review of studies of dioxin and endometriosis concluded that "the human data supporting the dioxin-endometriosis association are scanty and conflicting",<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Guo SW | title = The link between exposure to dioxin and endometriosis: a critical reappraisal of primate data | journal = Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation | volume = 57 | issue = 3 | pages = 157–73 | year = 2004 | pmid = 14739528 | doi = 10.1159/000076374 }}</ref> and a 2009 follow-up review also found that there was "insufficient evidence" in support of a link between dioxin exposure and women developing endometriosis.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Guo SW, Simsa P, Kyama CM, Mihályi A, Fülöp V, Othman EE, D'Hooghe TM | title = Reassessing the evidence for the link between dioxin and endometriosis: from molecular biology to clinical epidemiology | journal = Molecular Human Reproduction | volume = 15 | issue = 10 | pages = 609–24 | date = October 2009 | pmid = 19744969 | doi = 10.1093/molehr/gap075 }}</ref> A 2008 review concluded that more work was needed, stating that "although preliminary work suggests a potential involvement of exposure to dioxins in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, much work remains to clearly define cause and effect and to understand the potential mechanism of toxicity".<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rier S, Foster WG | title = Environmental dioxins and endometriosis | journal = Toxicological Sciences | volume = 70 | issue = 2 | pages = 161–70 | date = December 2002 | pmid = 12441361 | doi = 10.1093/toxsci/70.2.161 }}</ref>

==Pathophysiology==
[[File:Peritoneal endometriosis.jpg|thumb|[[laparoscopy|Laparoscopic]] image of endometriotic lesions at the [[peritoneum]] of the pelvic wall]]
While the exact cause of endometriosis remains unknown, many theories have been presented to better understand and explain its development. These concepts do not necessarily exclude each other. The [[pathophysiology]] of endometriosis is likely to be multifactorial and to involve an interplay between several factors.<ref name=Fauser2011/>

===Formation===
The main theories for the formation of the ectopic endometrium are retrograde menstruation, Müllerianosis, coelomic metaplasia and transplantation, each further described below.

====Retrograde menstruation theory====
The theory of retrograde menstruation (also called the ''implantation theory'' or ''transplantation theory'')<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = van der Linden PJ | title = Theories on the pathogenesis of endometriosis | journal = Human Reproduction | volume = 11 Suppl 3 | pages = 53–65 | date = November 1996 | pmid = 9147102 | doi = 10.1093/humrep/11.suppl_3.53 }}</ref> is the oldest theory for the formation of ectopic endometrium in endometriosis.<ref name=Fauser2011>{{cite journal | vauthors = Fauser BC, Diedrich K, Bouchard P, Domínguez F, Matzuk M, Franks S, Hamamah S, Simón C, Devroey P, Ezcurra D, Howles CM | title = Contemporary genetic technologies and female reproduction | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 17 | issue = 6 | pages = 829–47 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21896560 | pmc = 3191938 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmr033 }}</ref> It suggests that during a woman's [[menstruation|menstrual flow]], some of the endometrial debris flow backwards through the Fallopian tubes and into the peritoneal cavity, attaching itself to the [[peritoneum|peritoneal surface]] (the lining of the abdominal cavity) where it can proceed to invade the tissue as endometriosis.<ref name=Fauser2011/>

Retrograde menstruation alone is not able to explain all instances of endometriosis, and additional factors such as genetic or immune differences need to be invoked to account for the fact that many women with retrograde menstruation do not have endometriosis. In addition, endometriosis has shown up in people who have never experienced menstruation including men,<ref name="pmid445352">{{cite journal | vauthors = Pinkert TC, Catlow CE, Straus R | title = Endometriosis of the urinary bladder in a man with prostatic carcinoma | journal = Cancer | volume = 43 | issue = 4 | pages = 1562–7 | date = April 1979 | pmid = 445352 | doi = 10.1002/1097-0142(197904)43:4%3C1562::aid-cncr2820430451%3E3.0.co;2-w }}</ref> fetuses,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Signorile PG, Baldi F, Bussani R, D'Armiento M, De Falco M, Baldi A | title = Ectopic endometrium in human foetuses is a common event and sustains the theory of müllerianosis in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, a disease that predisposes to cancer | journal = Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research | volume = 28 | pages = 49 | date = April 2009 | pmid = 19358700 | pmc = 2671494 | doi = 10.1186/1756-9966-28-49 }}</ref> and prepubescent girls.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mok-Lin EY, Wolfberg A, Hollinquist H, Laufer MR | title = Endometriosis in a patient with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome and complete uterine agenesis: evidence to support the theory of coelomic metaplasia | journal = Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology | volume = 23 | issue = 1 | pages = e35-7 | date = February 2010 | pmid = 19589710 | doi = 10.1016/j.jpag.2009.02.010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Marsh EE, Laufer MR | title = Endometriosis in premenarcheal girls who do not have an associated obstructive anomaly | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 83 | issue = 3 | pages = 758–60 | date = March 2005 | pmid = 15749511 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.08.025 }}</ref> Further detracting from the retrograde menstruation theory are cases of endometriosis showing up in the brain<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Thibodeau LL, Prioleau GR, Manuelidis EE, Merino MJ, Heafner MD | title = Cerebral endometriosis. Case report | journal = Journal of Neurosurgery | volume = 66 | issue = 4 | pages = 609–10 | date = April 1987 | pmid = 3559727 | doi = 10.3171/jns.1987.66.4.0609 | url = http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/jns.1987.66.4.0609 }}</ref> and lungs.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Rodman MH, Jones CW | title = Catamenial hemoptysis due to bronchial endometriosis | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 266 | issue = 16 | pages = 805–8 | date = April 1962 | pmid = 14493132 | doi = 10.1056/nejm196204192661604 }}</ref> This theory has numerous other associated issues.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://endopaedia.info/origin38.html|title=Endopædia|website=endopaedia.info|access-date=2018-07-03}}</ref>

Researchers are investigating the possibility that the [[immune system]] may not be able to cope with the cyclic onslaught of retrograde menstrual fluid. In this context there is interest in studying the relationship of endometriosis to [[autoimmune disease]], [[allergy|allergic]] reactions, and the impact of toxic materials.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Gleicher N, el-Roeiy A, Confino E, Friberg J | title = Is endometriosis an autoimmune disease? | journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 70 | issue = 1 | pages = 115–22 | date = July 1987 | pmid = 3110710 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Capellino S, Montagna P, Villaggio B, Sulli A, Soldano S, Ferrero S, Remorgida V, Cutolo M | title = Role of estrogens in inflammatory response: expression of estrogen receptors in peritoneal fluid macrophages from endometriosis | journal = Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences | volume = 1069 | pages = 263–7 | date = June 2006 | pmid = 16855153 | doi = 10.1196/annals.1351.024 }}</ref> It is still unclear what, if any, causal relationship exists between toxic materials, autoimmune disease, and endometriosis. There are immune system changes in women with endometriosis, such as an increase of macrophage-derived secretion products, but it is unknown if these are contributing to the disorder or are reactions from it.<ref name="Young2013">{{cite journal | vauthors = Young VJ, Brown JK, Saunders PT, Horne AW | title = The role of the peritoneum in the pathogenesis of endometriosis | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 19 | issue = 5 | pages = 558–69 | year = 2013 | pmid = 23720497 | pmc = | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmt024 }}</ref>

In addition, at least one study found that endometriotic lesions differ in their biochemistry from artificially transplanted ectopic tissue.<ref name="pmid12372441">{{cite journal | vauthors = Redwine DB | title = Was Sampson wrong? | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 78 | issue = 4 | pages = 686–93 | date = October 2002 | pmid = 12372441 | doi = 10.1016/S0015-0282(02)03329-0 }}</ref> This is likely because the cells that give rise to endometriosis are a side population of cells.<ref name=Fauser2011/> Similarly, there are changes in for example the [[mesothelium]] of the [[peritoneum]] in women with endometriosis, such as loss of [[tight junction]]s, but it is unknown if these are causes or effects of the disorder.<ref name=Young2013/>

In rare cases where [[imperforate hymen]] does not resolve itself prior to the first menstrual cycle and goes undetected, blood and [[endometrium]] are trapped within the uterus of the woman until such time as the problem is resolved by surgical incision. Many health care practitioners never encounter this defect, and due to the [[flu-like symptoms]] it is often misdiagnosed or overlooked until multiple menstrual cycles have passed. By the time a correct diagnosis has been made, endometrium and other fluids have filled the uterus and Fallopian tubes with results similar to retrograde menstruation resulting in endometriosis. The initial stage of endometriosis may vary based on the time elapsed between onset and surgical procedure.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

The theory of retrograde menstruation as a cause of endometriosis was first proposed by [[John A. Sampson]].

====Other theories====
*Stem cells: Endometriosis may arise from stem cells from bone marrow and potentially other sources. In particular, this theory explains endometriosis found in areas remote from the pelvis such as the brain or lungs.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hufnagel D, Li F, Cosar E, Krikun G, Taylor HS | title = The Role of Stem Cells in the Etiology and Pathophysiology of Endometriosis | journal = Seminars in Reproductive Medicine | volume = 33 | issue = 5 | pages = 333–40 | date = September 2015 | pmid = 26375413 | pmc = 4986990 | doi = 10.1055/s-0035-1564609 }}</ref>
*Environment: Environmental toxins (e.g., [[dioxin]], [[nickel]]) may cause endometriosis.<ref name=Bruner-Tran_2008>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bruner-Tran KL, Yeaman GR, Crispens MA, Igarashi TM, Osteen KG | title = Dioxin may promote inflammation-related development of endometriosis | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 89 | issue = 5 Suppl | pages = 1287–98 | date = May 2008 | pmid = 18394613 | pmc = 2430157 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.02.102 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Yuk JS, Shin JS, Shin JY, Oh E, Kim H, Park WI | title = Nickel Allergy Is a Risk Factor for Endometriosis: An 11-Year Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study | journal = PLOS One | volume = 10 | issue = 10 | pages = e0139388 | date = 2015 | pmid = 26439741 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0139388 | pmc=4594920}}</ref>
*Müllerianosis: A theory supported by foetal autopsy is that cells with the potential to become endometrial, which are laid down in tracts during embryonic development called the female reproductive (Müllerian) tract as it migrates downward at 8–10 weeks of embryonic life, could become dislocated from the migrating uterus and act like seeds or [[stem cells]].<ref name=signorile2009>{{cite journal | vauthors = Signorile PG, Baldi F, Bussani R, D'Armiento M, De Falco M, Baldi A | title = Ectopic endometrium in human foetuses is a common event and sustains the theory of müllerianosis in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, a disease that predisposes to cancer | journal = Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research | volume = 28 | issue = | pages = 49 | date = April 2009 | pmid = 19358700 | pmc = 2671494 | doi = 10.1186/1756-9966-28-49 }}</ref>
*Coelomic metaplasia: [[Coelomic]] cells which are the common ancestor of [[endometrial]] and [[peritoneal]] cells may undergo [[metaplasia]] (transformation) from one type of cell to the other, perhaps triggered by inflammation.<ref name=aafp1999>{{cite web |url=http://www.aafp.org/afp/991015ap/1753.html |title=Diagnosis and Treatment of Endometriosis |publisher=American Academy of Family Physicians |date=1999-10-15 |accessdate=2011-07-26 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606032508/http://www.aafp.org/afp/991015ap/1753.html |archivedate=2011-06-06 |df= }}</ref>
*Vasculogenesis: Up to 37% of the microvascular [[endothelium]] of ectopic endometrial tissue originates from [[endothelial progenitor cell]]s, which result in ''de novo'' formation of microvessels by the process of [[vasculogenesis]] rather than the conventional process of [[angiogenesis]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Laschke MW, Giebels C, Menger MD | title = Vasculogenesis: a new piece of the endometriosis puzzle | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 17 | issue = 5 | pages = 628–36 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21586449 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmr023 }}</ref>{{clarify|reason=what's the theory here? |date=March 2016}}
*Neural growth: An increased expression of new nerve fibres is found in endometriosis but does not fully explain the formation of ectopic endometrial tissue and is not definitely correlated with the amount of perceived pain.<ref name="MorottiVincent2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Morotti M, Vincent K, Brawn J, Zondervan KT, Becker CM | title = Peripheral changes in endometriosis-associated pain | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 20 | issue = 5 | pages = 717–36 | year = 2014 | pmid = 24859987 | pmc = 4337970 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmu021 }}</ref>{{clarify|reason=what's the theory here? |date=March 2016}}
*Autoimmune: [[Graves disease]] is an autoimmune disease characterized by hyperthyroidism, goiter, ophthalmopathy, and dermopathy. Women with endometriosis had higher rates of Graves disease. One of these potential links between Graves disease and endometriosis is [[autoimmunity]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Yuk JS, Park EJ, Seo YS, Kim HJ, Kwon SY, Park WI | title = Graves Disease Is Associated With Endometriosis: A 3-Year Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study | journal = Medicine | volume = 95 | issue = 10 | pages = e2975 | date = March 2016 | pmid = 26962803 | doi = 10.1097/MD.0000000000002975 | pmc = 4998884 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Giudice LC, Kao LC | title = Endometriosis | journal = Lancet | volume = 364 | issue = 9447 | pages = 1789–99 | date = 2004 | pmid = 15541453 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17403-5 }}</ref>

===Localization===
[[File:Endometriosis loc en.svg|thumb|Possible locations of endometriosis]]
Most often, endometriosis is found on the:
* [[Ovary|ovaries]]
* [[fallopian tube]]s
* tissues that hold the uterus in place ([[ligament]]s)
* outer surface of the uterus<ref name="WH2014" />
Less common sites are:
* [[vagina]]
* [[cervix]]
* [[vulva]]
* [[Gastrointestinal tract|bowel]]
* [[Urinary bladder|bladder]]
* [[rectum]]<ref name="WH2014" />
Rarely, endometriosis appears in other parts of the body, such as the [[lung]]s, [[brain]], and [[skin]].<ref name="WH2014" />

Rectovaginal or bowel endometriosis affects approximately 5-12% of women with endometriosis, and can cause severe pain with bowel movements.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Weed JC, Ray JE | title = Endometriosis of the bowel | journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 69 | issue = 5 | pages = 727–30 | date = May 1987 | pmid = 3574800 }}</ref>

Endometriosis may spread to the [[cervix]] and [[vagina]] or to sites of a surgical abdominal incision, known as "scar endometriosis."<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Uzunçakmak C, Güldaş A, Ozçam H, Dinç K | title = Scar endometriosis: a case report of this uncommon entity and review of the literature | journal = Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 2013 | pages = 386783 | date = 2013 | pmid = 23762683 | pmc = 3665185 | doi = 10.1155/2013/386783 }}</ref> Risk factors for scar endometriosis include previous abdominal surgeries, such as a hysterotomy or cesarean section, or ectopic pregnancies, salpingostomy puerperal sterilization, laparoscopy, amniocentesis, appendectomy, episiotomy, vaginal hysterectomies, and hernia repair.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dwivedi AJ, Agrawal SN, Silva YJ | title = Abdominal wall endometriomas | journal = Digestive Diseases and Sciences | volume = 47 | issue = 2 | pages = 456–61 | date = February 2002 | pmid = 11855568 | doi=10.1023/a:1013711314870}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kaunitz A, Di Sant'Agnese PA | title = Needle tract endometriosis: an unusual complication of amniocentesis | journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 54 | issue = 6 | pages = 753–5 | date = December 1979 | pmid = 160025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Koger KE, Shatney CH, Hodge K, McClenathan JH | title = Surgical scar endometrioma | journal = Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics | volume = 177 | issue = 3 | pages = 243–6 | date = September 1993 | pmid = 8356497 }}</ref>

Endometriosis may also present with skin lesions in [[cutaneous endometriosis]].

Less commonly lesions can be found on the diaphragm. Diaphragmatic endometriosis is rare, almost always on the right hemidiaphragm, and may inflict the cyclic pain of the right shoulder just before and during a menstrual period. Rarely, endometriosis can be extraperitoneal and is found in the lungs and CNS.<ref name=WebMD>{{cite web| author =Daly S| title =Endometrioma/Endometriosis| work =| url =http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic250.htm| date =October 18, 2004| publisher =WebMD| accessdate =2006-12-19| deadurl =no| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20070206050257/http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic250.htm| archivedate =February 6, 2007| df =}}</ref>

==Diagnosis==
[[File:Endometrioma.jpg|thumb|[[Transvaginal ultrasonography]] showing a 67 x 40 mm [[endometrioma]] as distinguished from other types of [[ovarian cyst]]s by a somewhat grainy and not completely [[anechoic]] content]]
A health history and a physical examination can lead the health care practitioner to suspect endometriosis. Although doctors can often feel the endometrial growths during a pelvic exam, and these symptoms may be signs of endometriosis, diagnosis cannot be confirmed by exam only.

In the UK, there is an average of 7.5 years between a woman first seeing a doctor about their symptoms and receiving a firm diagnosis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/getting-diagnosed-endometriosis|title=Getting diagnosed with endometriosis {{!}} Endometriosis UK|website=www.endometriosis-uk.org|language=en|access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref>

=== Vaginal ultrasound ===
Use of pelvic ultrasound may identify large endometriotic cysts (called [[endometrioma]]s). However, smaller endometriosis implants cannot be visualized with ultrasound technique.{{citation needed||date=March 2016}}

Vaginal ultrasound has a clinical value in the diagnosis of endometrioma and before operating for deep endometriosis.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbu.se/en/publications/sbu-assesses/endometriosis--diagnosis-treatment-and-patient-experiences/|title=Endometriosis – Diagnosis, treatment and patient experiences|publisher=[[Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services]] (SBU)|date=2018-05-04|website=|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref> This applies to the identification of the spread of disease in women with well-established clinical suspicion of endometriosis.<ref name=":0" /> Vaginal ultrasound is inexpensive, easily accessible, has no contraindications and requires no preparation.<ref name=":0" /> Healthcare professionals conducting ultrasound examinations need to be experienced.<ref name=":0" /> By extending the ultrasound assessment into the posterior and anterior pelvic compartments the sonographer is able to evaluate structural mobility and look for deep infiltrating endometriotic nodules noting the size, location and distance from the anus if applicable.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Fang|first=Jing|last2=Piessens|first2=Sofie|date=2018-06-04|title=A step-by-step guide to sonographic evaluation of deep infiltrating endometriosis|url=https://doi.org/10.1002/sono.12149|journal=Sonography|language=en|volume=5|issue=2|pages=67–75|doi=10.1002/sono.12149|issn=2202-8323|via=}}</ref> An improvement in sonographic detection of deep infiltrating endometriosis will not only reduce the number of diagnostic laparoscopies, it will guide management and enhance quality of life.<ref name=":2" />

===Laparoscopy===
[[File:Douglas endometriose.jpg|thumb|[[laparoscopy|Laparoscopic]] image of endometriotic lesions in the [[Pouch of Douglas]] and on the right [[sacrouterine ligament]]]]
[[Laparoscopy]], a surgical procedure where a camera is used to look inside the abdominal cavity, is the only way to officially diagnose endometriosis as it permits lesion visualization unless the lesion is visible externally (e.g., an endometriotic nodule in the vagina). If the growths are not visible, a [[biopsy]] may be taken to determine the diagnosis.<ref>Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (16 July 2012). Endometriosis Fact Sheet. Retrieved from Womenshealth.gov {{cite web |url=http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2015-07-11 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703181337/http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.html |archivedate=2015-07-03 |df= }}</ref> Surgery for diagnoses also allows for surgical treatment of endometriosis at the same time.

To the eye, lesions can appear dark blue, powder-burn black, red, white, yellow, brown or non-pigmented. Lesions vary in size. Some within the pelvis walls may not be visible, as normal-appearing peritoneum of infertile women reveals endometriosis on biopsy in 6–13% of cases.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nisolle M, Paindaveine B, Bourdon A, Berlière M, Casanas-Roux F, Donnez J | title = Histologic study of peritoneal endometriosis in infertile women | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 53 | issue = 6 | pages = 984–8 | date = June 1990 | pmid = 2351237 }}</ref> Early endometriosis typically occurs on the surfaces of organs in the pelvic and intra-abdominal areas. Health care providers may call areas of endometriosis by different names, such as implants, lesions, or nodules. Larger lesions may be seen within the ovaries as endometriomas or "chocolate cysts", "chocolate" because they contain a thick brownish fluid, mostly old blood.{{citation needed||date=March 2016}}

Frequently during diagnostic [[laparoscopy]], no lesions are found in women with chronic pelvic pain, a symptom common to other disorders including adenomyosis, pelvic adhesions, pelvic inflammatory disease, congenital anomalies of the reproductive tract, and ovarian or tubal masses.<ref name="committee">{{cite journal | vauthors = | title = Treatment of pelvic pain associated with endometriosis: a committee opinion | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 101 | issue = 4 | pages = 927–35 | date = April 2014 | pmid = 24630080 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.02.012 }}</ref>

===Staging===
Surgically, endometriosis can be staged I–IV by the revised classification of the [[American Society of Reproductive Medicine]] from 1997.<ref name="pmid9130884">{{cite journal | vauthors = American Society For Reproductive M, | title = Revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine classification of endometriosis: 1996 | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 67 | issue = 5 | pages = 817–21 | date = May 1997 | pmid = 9130884 | doi = 10.1016/S0015-0282(97)81391-X }}</ref> The process is a complex point system that assesses lesions and adhesions in the pelvic organs, but it is important to note staging assesses physical disease only, not the level of pain or infertility. A person with Stage I endometriosis may have a little disease and severe pain, while a person with Stage IV endometriosis may have severe disease and no pain or vice versa. In principle the various stages show these findings:{{mcn|date=June 2018}}

;Stage I (Minimal)
: Findings restricted to only superficial lesions and possibly a few filmy [[adhesions]]
;Stage II (Mild)
: In addition, some deep lesions are present in the [[Rectouterine pouch|cul-de-sac]]
;Stage III (Moderate)
: As above, plus the presence of endometriomas on the ovary and more adhesions.
;Stage IV (Severe)
: As above, plus large endometriomas, extensive adhesions.

===Markers===
An area of research is the search for endometriosis [[biomarker|markers]].<ref name=May2010/>

In 2010, essentially all proposed biomarkers for endometriosis were of unclear medical use, although some appear to be promising.<ref name=May2010>{{cite journal | vauthors = May KE, Conduit-Hulbert SA, Villar J, Kirtley S, Kennedy SH, Becker CM | title = Peripheral biomarkers of endometriosis: a systematic review | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 16 | issue = 6 | pages = 651–74 | year = 2010 | pmid = 20462942 | pmc = 2953938 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmq009 }}</ref> The one biomarker that has been in use over the last 20 years is [[CA-125]].<ref name=May2010/> A 2016 review found that in those with symptoms of endometriosis; and, once [[ovarian cancer]] has been ruled out, a positive CA-125 may confirm the diagnosis.<ref name=Hir2016>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hirsch M, Duffy J, Davis CJ, Nieves Plana M, Khan KS | title = Diagnostic accuracy of cancer antigen 125 for&nbsp;endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis | journal = Bjog | volume = 123 | issue = 11 | pages = 1761–8 | date = October 2016 | pmid = 27173590 | doi = 10.1111/1471-0528.14055 }}</ref> Its performance in ruling out endometriosis, however, is low.<ref name=Hir2016/> CA-125 levels appear to fall during endometriosis treatment, but has not shown a correlation with disease response.<ref name=May2010/>

Another review in 2011 identified several putative biomarkers upon biopsy, including findings of small sensory nerve fibers or defectively expressed [[Beta-3 integrin|β3 integrin]] subunit.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = May KE, Villar J, Kirtley S, Kennedy SH, Becker CM | title = Endometrial alterations in endometriosis: a systematic review of putative biomarkers | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 17 | issue = 5 | pages = 637–53 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21672902 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmr013 }}</ref> It has been postulated a future diagnostic tool for endometriosis will consist of a panel of several specific and sensitive biomarkers, including both substance concentrations and genetic predisposition.<ref name=May2010/>

===Histopathology===
[[Image:Endometriosis, abdominal wall.jpg|thumb|Endometriosis, abdominal wall]]
[[Image:Endometriosis of the ovary.jpg|thumb|right|[[Micrograph]] showing endometriosis (right) and ovarian stroma (left). [[H&E stain]].]]
[[Image:Endometrioma1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Micrograph]] of the wall of an endometrioma. All features of endometriosis are present (endometrial [[gland]]s, endometrial [[stroma (animal tissue)|stroma]] and [[hemosiderin]]-laden [[macrophage]]s). [[H&E stain]].]]
Typical endometriotic lesions show [[histopathology|histopathologic]] features similar to [[endometrium]], namely endometrial [[stroma (animal tissue)|stroma]], endometrial [[epithelium]], and glands that respond to hormonal stimuli. Older lesions may display no glands but [[hemosiderin]] deposits (see photomicrograph on right) as residual.{{citation needed||date=March 2016}}

Immunohistochemistry has been found to be useful in diagnosing endometriosis as stromal cells have a peculiar surface antigen, CD10, thus allowing the pathologist go straight to a staining area and hence confirm the presence of stromal cells and sometimes glandular tissue is thus identified that was missed on routine H&E staining.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rfay.com.au/docs/cd10poster.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-07-18 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502131226/http://rfay.com.au/docs/cd10poster.pdf |archivedate=2013-05-02 |df= }}</ref>{{better source||date=March 2016}}

===Pain quantification===
The most common [[pain scale]] for quantification of endometriosis-related pain is the [[visual analogue scale]] (VAS); VAS and [[numerical rating scale]] (NRS) were the best adapted pain scales for pain measurement in endometriosis. For research purposes, and for more detailed pain measurement in clinical practice, VAS or NRS for each type of typical pain related to endometriosis ([[dysmenorrhea]], deep [[dyspareunia]] and non-menstrual [[chronic pelvic pain]]), combined with the [[clinical global impression]] (CGI) and a [[quality of life]] scale, are used.<ref name="BourdelAlves2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bourdel N, Alves J, Pickering G, Ramilo I, Roman H, Canis M | title = Systematic review of endometriosis pain assessment: how to choose a scale? | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 21 | issue = 1 | pages = 136–52 | year = 2014 | pmid = 25180023 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmu046 }}</ref>

==Prevention==
Limited evidence indicates that the use of [[combined oral contraceptive pill|combined oral contraceptives]] is associated with a reduced risk of endometriosis.<ref name=Ver2011/>

==Management==

While there is no cure for endometriosis, there are two types of interventions; treatment of pain and treatment of [[endometriosis-associated infertility]].<ref name="TreatmentEKSNI">{{cite web | title =What are the treatments for endometriosis | work = | publisher =Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development | url =http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/conditioninfo/Pages/treatment.aspx | accessdate =20 August 2013 | deadurl =no | archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20130803030403/http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometri/conditioninfo/Pages/treatment.aspx | archivedate =3 August 2013 | df = }}</ref> In many women, menopause (natural or surgical) will abate the process.<ref name="pmid20627430">{{cite journal | vauthors = Moen MH, Rees M, Brincat M, Erel T, Gambacciani M, Lambrinoudaki I, Schenck-Gustafsson K, Tremollieres F, Vujovic S, Rozenberg S | title = EMAS position statement: Managing the menopause in women with a past history of endometriosis | journal = Maturitas | volume = 67 | issue = 1 | pages = 94–7 | date = September 2010 | pmid = 20627430 | doi = 10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.04.018 }}</ref> In women in the reproductive years, endometriosis is merely managed: the goal is to provide pain relief, to restrict progression of the process, and to restore or preserve fertility where needed. In younger women, surgical treatment attempts to remove endometrial tissue and preserve the ovaries without damaging normal tissue.<ref name="AFFDiagnosisandTreat">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wellbery C | title = Diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis | journal = American Family Physician | volume = 60 | issue = 6 | pages = 1753–62, 1767–8 | date = October 1999 | pmid = 10537390 | doi = | url = http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1015/p1753.html | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029215107/http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1015/p1753.html | df = | deadurl = no | archivedate = 2013-10-29 }}</ref>

In general, the diagnosis of endometriosis is confirmed during surgery, at which time ablative steps can be taken. Further steps depend on circumstances: a woman without infertility can be managed with hormonal medication that suppresses the natural cycle and pain medication, while an infertile woman may be treated expectantly after surgery, with fertility medication, or with [[IVF]]. As to the surgical procedure, [[ablation]] (or [[fulguration]]) of endometriosis (burning and vaporizing the lesions with an electric device) has shown a high rate of short-term recurrence after the procedure. The best surgical procedure with much lower rate of short-term recurrence is to excise (cut and remove) the lesions completely.{{mcn|date=April 2015}}

===Surgery===

Conservative treatment consists of the excision of the [[endometrium]], [[adhesions]], resection of endometriomas, and restoration of normal pelvic anatomy as much as is possible.<ref name=speroff>{{Cite book|vauthors=Speroff L, Glass RH, Kase NG |title=Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility |publisher=Lippincott Willimas Wilkins |edition=6th |page=1057 |isbn=0-683-30379-1 |year=1999}}</ref> Endometrioma on the ovary of any significant size (Approx. 2&nbsp;cm +) —sometimes misdiagnosed as ovarian cysts— must be removed surgically because hormonal treatment alone will not remove the full endometrioma cyst, which can progress to acute pain from the rupturing of the cyst and internal bleeding.{{mcn|date=March 2016}} [[Laparoscopy]], besides being used for diagnosis, can also be used to perform surgery. It's considered a "minimally invasive" surgery because the surgeon makes very small openings (incisions) at (or around) the belly button and lower portion of the belly. A thin telescope-like instrument (the laparoscope) is placed through one incision, which allows the doctor to look for endometriosis using a small camera attached to the laparoscope. Small instruments are inserted through the incisions to remove the endometriosis tissue and adhesions. Because the incisions are very small, there will only be small scars on the skin after the procedure, and all endometriosis can be removed, and women recover from surgery quicker and have a lower risk of adhesions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asrm.org/uploadedFiles/ASRM_Content/Resources/Patient_Resources/Fact_Sheets_and_Info_Booklets/endometriosis_infertility.pdf |title=Endometriosis and Infertility: Can Surgery Help? |year=2008 |publisher=American Society for Reproductive Medicine |accessdate=31 Oct 2010 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011155943/http://www.asrm.org/uploadedFiles/ASRM_Content/Resources/Patient_Resources/Fact_Sheets_and_Info_Booklets/endometriosis_infertility.pdf |archivedate=2010-10-11 |df= }}</ref>

55% to 100% of women develop adhesions following pelvic surgery,<ref name="LiakokosPAE">{{cite journal | vauthors = Liakakos T, Thomakos N, Fine PM, Dervenis C, Young RL | title = Peritoneal adhesions: etiology, pathophysiology, and clinical significance. Recent advances in prevention and management | journal = Digestive Surgery | volume = 18 | issue = 4 | pages = 260–73 | year = 2001 | pmid = 11528133 | doi = 10.1159/000050149 }}</ref> which can result in infertility, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and difficult reoperative surgery. Trehan's temporary ovarian suspension, a technique in which the ovaries are suspended for a week after surgery may be used to reduce the incidence of adhesions after endometriosis surgery.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Trehan AK | title = Temporary ovarian suspension | journal = Gynaecological Endoscopy | volume = 11 | pages = 309–314 | year = 2002 | doi=10.1046/j.1365-2508.2002.00520.x | issue=1}}</ref><ref name="pmid11821616">{{cite journal | vauthors = Abuzeid MI, Ashraf M, Shamma FN | title = Temporary ovarian suspension at laparoscopy for prevention of adhesions | journal = The Journal of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists | volume = 9 | issue = 1 | pages = 98–102 | date = February 2002 | pmid = 11821616 }}</ref>

Conservative treatment involves excision of endometriosis while preserving the ovaries and uterus, very important for women wishing to conceive, but may increase the risk of recurrence.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Namnoum AB, Hickman TN, Goodman SB, Gehlbach DL, Rock JA | title = Incidence of symptom recurrence after hysterectomy for endometriosis | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 64 | issue = 5 | pages = 898–902 | date = November 1995 | pmid = 7589631 }}</ref>

Endometriosis recurrence following conservative surgery is estimated as 21.5% at 2 years and 40-50% at 5 years.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Guo SW | title = Recurrence of endometriosis and its control | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 15 | issue = 4 | pages = 441–61 | year = 2009 | pmid = 19279046 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmp007 }}</ref>

A [[hysterectomy]] (removal of the uterus) can be used to treat endometriosis in women who do not wish to conceive. However, this should only be done when combined with removal of the endometriosis by excision, as if endometriosis is not also removed at the time of hysterectomy, pain may persist.<ref name="Johnson NP, Hummelshoj L; World Endometriosis Society Montpellier Consortium 2013">{{cite journal | vauthors = Johnson NP, Hummelshoj L | title = Consensus on current management of endometriosis | journal = Human Reproduction | volume = 28 | issue = 6 | pages = 1552–68 | date = June 2013 | pmid = 23528916 | doi = 10.1093/humrep/det050 | url = http://reproduct-endo.com/article/download/30268/26983 }}</ref>

For women with extreme pain, a presacral neurectomy may be very rarely performed where the nerves to the uterus are cut. However, this technique is almost never used due to the high incidence of associated complications including presacral hematoma and irreversible problems with urination and constipation.<ref name="Johnson NP, Hummelshoj L; World Endometriosis Society Montpellier Consortium 2013"/>

===Hormonal medications===
{{See also|Pseudopregnancy}}

* [[Hormonal birth control]] therapy: [[Birth control pill]]s reduce the menstrual pain associated with endometriosis.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zorbas KA, Economopoulos KP, Vlahos NF | title = Continuous versus cyclic oral contraceptives for the treatment of endometriosis: a systematic review | journal = Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics | volume = 292 | issue = 1 | pages = 37–43 | date = July 2015 | pmid = 25644508 | doi = 10.1007/s00404-015-3641-1 }}</ref> They may function by reducing or eliminating menstrual flow and providing estrogen support. [[Combined birth control|Combined estrogen–progestogen birth control]] is the first-line treatment for most women with endometriosis due to its ability to be used over long periods of time, relative inexpensiveness and ease of use, and additional benefit of reducing ovarian/endometrial cancer risk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uptodate.com/contents/endometriosis-treatment-of-pelvic-pain?search=endometriosis&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=2#H6|title=Endometriosis: Treatment of pelvic pain|website=www.uptodate.com|access-date=2017-12-18}}</ref>
* [[Progestogen]]s: [[Progesterone (medication)|Progesterone]] counteracts estrogen and inhibits the growth of the endometrium.<ref name="PatelElguero2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Patel B, Elguero S, Thakore S, Dahoud W, Bedaiwy M, Mesiano S | title = Role of nuclear progesterone receptor isoforms in uterine pathophysiology | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 21 | issue = 2 | pages = 155–73 | year = 2014 | pmid = 25406186 | pmc = 4366574 | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dmu056 }}</ref> Such therapy can reduce or eliminate menstruation in a controlled and reversible fashion. [[Progestin]]s are chemical variants of natural progesterone. An example of a progestin is [[dienogest]] (Visanne). Whilst progestogens are often given as part of a combined hormonal therapy with the addition of estrogen, progestogen-only therapy may be an acceptable alternative.
* [[Danazol]] (Danocrine) and [[gestrinone]] (Dimetrose, Nemestran) are suppressive steroids with some androgenic activity.<ref name="AFFDiagnosisandTreat"/> Both agents inhibit the growth of endometriosis but their use remains limited as they may cause [[masculinization|masculinizing]] side effects such as [[hirsutism|excessive hair growth]] and [[voice changes]].{{mcn|date=April 2015}}
* [[Gonadotropin-releasing hormone modulator|Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) modulator]]s: These drugs include [[GnRH agonist]]s such as [[leuprorelin]] (Lupron) and [[GnRH antagonist]]s such as [[elagolix]] (Orilissa) and are thought to work by decreasing estrogen levels.<ref name="brown2010" /> A 2010 Cochrane review found that GnRH modulators were more effective for pain relief in endometriosis than no treatment or [[placebo]], but were no more effective than danazol or intrauterine progestogen, and had more side effects than danazol.<ref name="brown2010">{{cite journal | vauthors = Brown J, Pan A, Hart RJ | title = Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues for pain associated with endometriosis | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | issue = 12 | pages = CD008475 | date = December 2010 | pmid = 21154398 | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD008475.pub2 }}</ref> A 2018 Swedish systematic review found that GnRH modulators had similar pain-relieving effects to gestagen, but also decreased bone density.<ref name=":0" />
* [[Aromatase inhibitor]]s are medications that block the formation of estrogen and have become of interest for researchers who are treating endometriosis.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Attar E, Bulun SE | title = Aromatase inhibitors: the next generation of therapeutics for endometriosis? | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 85 | issue = 5 | pages = 1307–18 | date = May 2006 | pmid = 16647373 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.09.064 }}</ref> Examples of aromatase inhibitors include [[anastrozole]] and [[letrozole]]. Evidence for aromatase inhibitors is limited due to the limited number and quality of studies available, though show promising benefit in terms of pain control.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nawathe A, Patwardhan S, Yates D, Harrison GR, Khan KS | title = Systematic review of the effects of aromatase inhibitors on pain associated with endometriosis | journal = Bjog | volume = 115 | issue = 7 | pages = 818–22 | date = June 2008 | pmid = 18485158 | doi = 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01740.x }}</ref>

===Other medication===
* [[NSAID]]s: Anti-inflammatory. They are commonly used in conjunction with other therapy. For more severe cases narcotic prescription drugs may be used. NSAID injections can be helpful for severe pain or if stomach pain prevents oral NSAID use. Examples of NSAIDs include [[ibuprofen]] and [[naproxen]].
* [[Opioid]]s: [[Morphine]] sulphate tablets and other opioid painkillers work by mimicking the action of naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals called "[[endorphins]]". There are different long acting and short acting medications that can be used alone or in combination to provide appropriate pain control.
* Following laparoscopic surgery women who were given Chinese herbs were reported to have comparable benefits to women with conventional drug treatments, though the journal article that reviewed this study also noted that "the two trials included in this review are of poor methodological quality so these findings must be interpreted cautiously. Better quality randomised controlled trials are needed to investigate a possible role for CHM [Chinese Herbal Medicine] in the treatment of endometriosis."<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Flower A, Liu JP, Lewith G, Little P, Li Q | title = Chinese herbal medicine for endometriosis | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | issue = 5 | pages = CD006568 | date = May 2012 | pmid = 22592712 | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD006568.pub3 }}</ref>
* [[Pentoxifylline]], an immunomodulating agent, has been theorized to improve pain as well as improve pregnancy rates in women with endometriosis. A 2012 Cochrane review, however, found that there was not enough evidence to support the effectiveness or safety of either of these uses.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lu D, Song H, Li Y, Clarke J, Shi G | title = Pentoxifylline for endometriosis | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | volume = 1 | pages = CD007677 | date = January 2012 | pmid = 22258970 | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD007677.pub3 }}</ref> Current [[American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]] (ACOG) guidelines do not include immune-modulators, such as pentoxifylline, in standard treatment protocols.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = | title = Practice bulletin no. 114: management of endometriosis | journal = Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 116 | issue = 1 | pages = 223–36 | date = July 2010 | pmid = 20567196 | doi = 10.1097/AOG.0b013e3181e8b073 }}</ref>
*[[Angiogenesis inhibitor]]s lack clinical evidence of efficacy in endometriosis therapy.<ref name="Laschke2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Laschke MW, Menger MD | title = Anti-angiogenic treatment strategies for the therapy of endometriosis | journal = Human Reproduction Update | volume = 18 | issue = 6 | pages = 682–702 | year = 2012 | pmid = 22718320 | pmc = | doi = 10.1093/humupd/dms026 }}</ref> Under experimental ''[[in vitro]]'' and ''[[in vivo]]'' conditions, compounds that have been shown to exert inhibitory effects on endometriotic lesions include growth factor inhibitors, endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors, fumagillin analogues, [[statin]]s, [[cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor]]s, [[phytochemical]] compounds, [[immunomodulator]]s, [[dopamine agonist]]s, [[peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist]]s, [[progestin]]s, [[danazol]] and [[gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist]]s.<ref name=Laschke2012/> However, many of these agents are associated with undesirable side effects and more research is necessary. An ideal therapy would diminish inflammation and underlying symptoms without being contraceptive.<ref name="pmid23485944">{{cite journal | vauthors = Canny GO, Lessey BA | title = The role of lipoxin A4 in endometrial biology and endometriosis | journal = Mucosal Immunology | volume = 6 | issue = 3 | pages = 439–50 | date = May 2013 | pmid = 23485944 | pmc = 4062302 | doi = 10.1038/mi.2013.9 }}</ref><ref name="pmid23356536">{{cite journal | vauthors = Streuli I, de Ziegler D, Santulli P, Marcellin L, Borghese B, Batteux F, Chapron C | title = An update on the pharmacological management of endometriosis | journal = Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy | volume = 14 | issue = 3 | pages = 291–305 | date = February 2013 | pmid = 23356536 | doi = 10.1517/14656566.2013.767334 }}</ref>

The overall effectiveness of manual physical therapy to treat endometriosis has not yet been identified.<ref name="pmid21589790">{{cite journal | vauthors = Valiani M, Ghasemi N, Bahadoran P, Heshmat R | title = The effects of massage therapy on dysmenorrhea caused by endometriosis | journal = Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research | volume = 15 | issue = 4 | pages = 167–71 | year = 2010 | pmid = 21589790 | pmc = 3093183 | doi = }}</ref> There is no evidence to support nutritional therapy as effective.

===Comparison of interventions===
Medicinal and surgical interventions produce roughly equivalent pain-relief benefits. Recurrence of pain was found to be 44 and 53 percent with medicinal and surgical interventions, respectively.<ref name= emed/> Each approach has advantages and disadvantages.<ref name=aafp1999/> Manual therapy showed a decrease in pain for 84 percent of study participants, and a 93 percent improvement in sexual function.{{MEDRS|date=April 2015}}<ref name="JOEPPD">{{primary-source inline|date=April 2015}} {{cite journal | vauthors =Wurn BF, Wurn LJ, Patterson K, King CR, Scharf ES | title =Decreasing dyspareunia and dysmenorrhea in women with endometriosis via a manual physical therapy: Results from two independent studies | journal =Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders | volume =3 | issue = | pages =188–196 | year =2011 | url =http://www.j-endometriosis.com/article/decreasing-dyspareunia-and-dysmenorrhea-in-women-with-endometriosis-via-a-manual-physical-therapy--results-from-two-independent-studies-je-11-0029 | doi =10.5301/JE.2012.9088 | deadurl =no | archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202014/http://www.j-endometriosis.com/article/decreasing-dyspareunia-and-dysmenorrhea-in-women-with-endometriosis-via-a-manual-physical-therapy--results-from-two-independent-studies-je-11-0029 | archivedate =2013-10-29 | df = }}</ref>

{{as of|2013}} evidence on how effective medication is for relieving pain associated with endometriosis was limited .<ref name="TreatmentEKSNI"/> A 2018 Swedish systematic review found a large number of studies but a general lack of scientific evidence for most treatments.<ref name=":0" /> There was only one study of sufficient quality and relevance comparing the effect of surgery and non-surgery.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbu.se/sv/publikationer/SBU-utvarderar/endometrios--diagnostik-behandling-och-bemotande/|title=Endometrios – diagnostik, behandling och bemötande|date=|website=www.sbu.se|publisher=Statens beredning för medicinsk och social utvärdering (SBU); [[Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services]]|page=121|language=sv|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref> Cohort studies indicate that surgery is effective in decreasing pain.<ref name=":1" /> Most complications occurred in cases of low intestinal anastomosis, while risk of fistula occurred in cases of combined abdominal or vaginal surgery, and urinary tract problems were common in intestinal surgery.<ref name=":1" /> The evidence was found to be insufficient regarding surgical intervention.<ref name=":1" />

The advantages of surgery are demonstrated efficacy for pain control,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kaiser A, Kopf A, Gericke C, Bartley J, Mechsner S | title = The influence of peritoneal endometriotic lesions on the generation of endometriosis-related pain and pain reduction after surgical excision | journal = Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics | volume = 280 | issue = 3 | pages = 369–73 | date = September 2009 | pmid = 19148660 | doi = 10.1007/s00404-008-0921-z }}</ref> it is more effective for infertility than medicinal intervention,<ref name="AFFDiagnosisandTreat" /> it provides a definitive diagnosis,<ref name="AFFDiagnosisandTreat" /> and surgery can often be performed as a minimally invasive (laparoscopic) procedure to reduce morbidity and minimize the risk of post-operative adhesions.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Radosa MP, Bernardi TS, Georgiev I, Diebolder H, Camara O, Runnebaum IB | title = Coagulation versus excision of primary superficial endometriosis: a 2-year follow-up | journal = European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology | volume = 150 | issue = 2 | pages = 195–8 | date = June 2010 | pmid = 20303642 | doi = 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2010.02.022 }}</ref> Efforts to develop effective strategies to reduce or prevent adhesions have been undertaken, but their formation remain a frequent side effect of abdominal surgery.<ref name="LiakokosPAE" />

The advantages of physical therapy techniques are decreased cost, absence of major side-effects, it does not interfere with fertility, and near-universal increase of sexual function.<ref name="JOEPPD"/> Disadvantages are that there are no large or long-term studies of its use for treating pain or infertility related to endometriosis.<ref name="JOEPPD"/>

===Treatment of infertility===
{{Main article|Endometriosis and infertility}}
Surgery is more effective than medicinal intervention for addressing infertility associated with endometriosis.<ref name="AFFDiagnosisandTreat"/> Surgery attempts to remove endometrial tissue and preserve the ovaries without damaging normal tissue.<ref name="AFFDiagnosisandTreat"/> [[In-vitro fertilization]] (IVF) procedures are effective in improving fertility in many women with endometriosis.{{mcn|date=April 2015}}

During fertility treatment, the ultralong pretreatment with GnRH-agonist has a higher chance of resulting in pregnancy for women with endometriosis, compared to the short pretreatment.<ref name=":0" />

==Outcomes==
Proper counseling of women with endometriosis requires attention to several aspects of the disorder. Of primary importance is the initial operative staging of the disease to obtain adequate information on which to base future decisions about therapy. The woman's symptoms and desire for childbearing dictate appropriate therapy. Not all therapy works for all women. Some women have recurrences after surgery or pseudo-menopause. In most cases, treatment will give women significant relief from pelvic pain and assist them in achieving pregnancy.<ref name=AMN>{{cite web | vauthors = Memarzadeh S, Muse KN, Fox, MD | title=Endometriosis | work=Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of endometriosis. | url=http://www.health.am/gyneco/endometriosis/ | date=September 21, 2006 | publisher=Armenian Health Network, Health.am | accessdate=2006-12-19 | deadurl=no | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070131223040/http://www.health.am/gyneco/endometriosis/ | archivedate=January 31, 2007 | df= }}</ref>

The underlying process that causes endometriosis may not cease after a surgical or medical intervention. Studies have shown that endometriosis recurs at a rate of 20 to 40 percent within five years following conservative surgery,{{MEDRS|date=April 2015}}<ref>{{MEDRS|date=April 2015}} {{cite web |url=http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/Endometriosis/hic_Recurrent_Endometriosis_Surgical_Management.aspx |title=Recurrent Endometriosis: Surgical Management |date=7 Jan 2010 |work=Endometriosis |publisher=The Cleveland Clinic |accessdate=31 Oct 2010 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501183003/http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/Endometriosis/hic_Recurrent_Endometriosis_Surgical_Management.aspx |archivedate=2010-05-01 |df= }}</ref>
unless hysterectomy is performed or menopause reached. Monitoring of women consists of periodic clinical examinations and [[sonography]].

===Complications===
Complications of endometriosis include internal scarring, [[adhesions]], pelvic cysts, [[Chocolate cyst of ovary|chocolate cysts of ovaries]], ruptured cysts, and bowel and ureter obstruction resulting from pelvic adhesions.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Acosta S, Leandersson U, Svensson SE, Johnsen J | title = [A case report. Endometriosis caused colonic ileus, ureteral obstruction and hypertension] | language = Swedish | journal = Lakartidningen | volume = 98 | issue = 18 | pages = 2208–12 | date = May 2001 | pmid = 11402601 | url = http://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1121619 | trans-title = A case report. Endometriosis caused colonic ileus, ureteral obstruction and hypertension }}</ref> [[Endometriosis-associated infertility]] can be related to scar formation and anatomical distortions due to the endometriosis.<ref name="WH2014" />

Ovarian endometriosis may complicate pregnancy by [[decidualization]], abscess and/or rupture.<ref name=Ueda>{{cite journal | vauthors = Ueda Y, Enomoto T, Miyatake T, Fujita M, Yamamoto R, Kanagawa T, Shimizu H, Kimura T | title = A retrospective analysis of ovarian endometriosis during pregnancy | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 94 | issue = 1 | pages = 78–84 | date = June 2010 | pmid = 19356751 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.02.092 }}</ref>

[[Thoracic endometriosis]] is associated with recurrent pneumothoraces at times of a menstrual period, termed [[catamenial pneumothorax]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Visouli AN, Zarogoulidis K, Kougioumtzi I, Huang H, Li Q, Dryllis G, Kioumis I, Pitsiou G, Machairiotis N, Katsikogiannis N, Papaiwannou A, Lampaki S, Zaric B, Branislav P, Porpodis K, Zarogoulidis P | title = Catamenial pneumothorax | journal = Journal of Thoracic Disease | volume = 6 | issue = Suppl 4 | pages = S448-60 | date = October 2014 | pmid = 25337402 | pmc = 4203986 | doi = 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2014.08.49 }}</ref>

A 20-year study of 12,000 women with endometriosis found that women under 40 who are diagnosed with endometriosis are 3 times more likely to have heart problems than their healthy peers.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wise|first=Jacqui|date=2016-04-01|title=Women with endometriosis show higher risk for heart disease|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i1851|journal=BMJ|language=en|volume=353|pages=i1851|doi=10.1136/bmj.i1851|issn=1756-1833|pmid=27036948}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.heart.org/news/women-with-endometriosis-at-higher-risk-for-heart-disease|title=Women with endometriosis at higher risk for heart disease {{!}} American Heart Association|website=newsroom.heart.org|language=en|access-date=2018-07-03}}</ref>

It results in few deaths.<ref name=GDB2013/>

==Epidemiology==
One estimate is that 10.8 million people are affected globally as of 2015.<ref name=GBD2015Pre/> Other sources estimate about 6–10% of women are affected.<ref name=Bulletti2010/> It may affect more than 11% of American women between 15 and 44.<ref name="WH2014" /> Endometriosis is most common in those in their thirties and forties; however, it can begin in girls as early as 8 years old.<ref name=WH2014/><ref name=Mc2013/>

It can affect any female, from [[menarche|premenarche]] to [[menopause|postmenopause]], regardless of race or ethnicity or whether or not they have had children. It is primarily a disease of the reproductive years.<ref name=Nothnick>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nothnick WB | title = The emerging use of aromatase inhibitors for endometriosis treatment | journal = Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology | volume = 9 | issue = | pages = 87 | date = June 2011 | pmid = 21693036 | pmc = 3135533 | doi = 10.1186/1477-7827-9-87 }}</ref> Incidences of endometriosis have occurred in postmenopausal women,<ref name=Medscape>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bulun SE, Zeitoun K, Sasano H, Simpson ER | title = Aromatase in aging women | journal = Seminars in Reproductive Endocrinology | volume = 17 | issue = 4 | pages = 349–58 | year = 1999 | pmid = 10851574 | doi = 10.1055/s-2007-1016244 }}</ref> and in less common cases, girls may have endometriosis symptoms before they even reach menarche.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Batt RE, Mitwally MF | title = Endometriosis from thelarche to midteens: pathogenesis and prognosis, prevention and pedagogy | journal = Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology | volume = 16 | issue = 6 | pages = 337–47 | date = December 2003 | pmid = 14642954 | doi = 10.1016/j.jpag.2003.09.008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Marsh EE, Laufer MR | title = Endometriosis in premenarcheal girls who do not have an associated obstructive anomaly | journal = Fertility and Sterility | volume = 83 | issue = 3 | pages = 758–60 | date = March 2005 | pmid = 15749511 | doi = 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.08.025 }}</ref>

==Society and culture==
As recently as 1995, reports found that over 50% of women with chronic pelvic pain had no organic cause, with women still often being considered mentally unstable.<ref name=Gomel>{{cite book|vauthors=Gomel V, Taylor PJ |title=Diagnostic and operative gynecologic laparoscopy|date=1995|publisher=Mosby|location=St. Louis, MO}}</ref> Self-help groups say practitioners delay making the diagnosis, often because they do not consider it a possibility. In the US, as of 2007, about 27% of women with endometriosis had had the symptoms for at least six years before it is diagnosed.{{update after|2015|5|20}}<ref name=Atlas>{{cite book|vauthors=Overton C, Davis C, McMillan L, Shaw RW |title=An atlas of endometriosis|date=2007|publisher=Informa Healthcare|location=London|edition=3rd|pages=9–10}}</ref>

The economic effects associated with endometriosis are substantial and are similar to that of other chronic diseases such as Crohn's disease, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.<ref name=Endoburden>{{cite journal | vauthors = Simoens S, Dunselman G, Dirksen C, Hummelshoj L, Bokor A, Brandes I, Brodszky V, Canis M, Colombo GL, DeLeire T, Falcone T, Graham B, Halis G, Horne A, Kanj O, Kjer JJ, Kristensen J, Lebovic D, Mueller M, Vigano P, Wullschleger M, D'Hooghe T | title = The burden of endometriosis: costs and quality of life of women with endometriosis and treated in referral centres | journal = Human Reproduction | volume = 27 | issue = 5 | pages = 1292–9 | date = May 2012 | pmid = 22422778 | doi = 10.1093/humrep/des073 }}</ref> This economic burden is attributed mostly to the inability to consistently work and predicted by decreased quality of life.<ref name=Endoburden/>


== Referències ==
== Referències ==
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== Enllaços externs ==
{{commonscat}}
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*{{dmoz|Health/Women's_Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/Uterus/Endometriosis}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130130055039/http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.cfm Endometriosis fact sheet] from womenshealth.gov


{{Autoritat}}
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[[Categoria:Trastorns no inflamatoris del tracte genital femení]]
[[Categoria:Trastorns no inflamatoris del tracte genital femení]]

Revisió del 21:07, 22 set 2018

Plantilla:Infotaula malaltiaEndometriosi
modifica
Tipusmalaltia del sistema reproductor femení, endometrial disease (en) Tradueix i malaltia Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Especialitatginecologia Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Clínica-tractament
Patogènia
Localitzacióabdomen i pelvis Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Associació genèticaPDE1C (en) Tradueix, IL33 (en) Tradueix, VEZT (en) Tradueix, KSR2 (en) Tradueix i GREB1 (en) Tradueix Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Classificació
CIM-11GA10 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
CIM-10N80
CIM-9617.0
CIAPX99 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Recursos externs
Enciclopèdia Catalana0102148 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
OMIM131200 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
DiseasesDB4269 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
MedlinePlus000915 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
eMedicine271899 i 795771 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Patient UKendometriosis-pro Modifica el valor a Wikidata
MeSHD004715 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
Orphanet137820 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
UMLS CUIC0014175, C0014175, C0269102 i C0404545 Modifica el valor a Wikidata
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Endometriosis is a condition in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside of it.[1][2] Most often this is on the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, and tissue around the uterus and ovaries; however, in rare cases it may also occur in other parts of the body.[3] The main symptoms are pelvic pain and infertility.[4] Nearly half of those affected have chronic pelvic pain, while in 70% pain occurs during menstruation.[4] Pain during sexual intercourse is also common.[4] Infertility occurs in up to half of women affected.[4] Less common symptoms include urinary or bowel symptoms.[4] About 25% of women have no symptoms.[4] Endometriosis can have both social and psychological effects.[5]

The cause is not entirely clear.[4] Risk factors include having a family history of the condition.[3] The areas of endometriosis bleed each month, resulting in inflammation and scarring.[4][3] The growths due to endometriosis are not cancer.[3] Diagnosis is usually based on symptoms in combination with medical imaging,[3] however, biopsy is the most sure method of diagnosis.[3] Other causes of similar symptoms include pelvic inflammatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and fibromyalgia.[4]

Tentative evidence suggests that the use of combined oral contraceptives reduces the risk of endometriosis.[6] Exercise and avoiding large amounts of alcohol may also be preventive.[3] There is no cure for endometriosis but a number of treatments may improve symptoms.[4] This may include pain medication, hormonal treatments or surgery.[3] The recommended pain medication is usually a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as naproxen.[3] Taking the active component of the birth control pill continuously or using an intrauterine device with progestogen may also be useful.[3] Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist may improve the ability of those who are infertile to get pregnant.[3] Surgical removal of endometriosis may be used to treat those whose symptoms are not manageable with other treatments.[3]

One estimate is that 10.8 million people are affected globally as of 2015.[7] Other sources estimate about 6–10% of women are affected.[4] Endometriosis is most common in those in their thirties and forties; however, it can begin in girls as early as 8 years old.[3][8] It results in few deaths.[9] Endometriosis was first determined to be a separate condition in the 1920s.[10] Before that time, endometriosis and adenomyosis were considered together.[10] It is unclear who first described the disease.[10]

History

Endometriosis was first discovered microscopically by Karl von Rokitansky in 1860,[11] although it was documented in medical texts more than 4,000 years ago.[12] The Hippocratic Corpus outlines symptoms similar to endometriosis, including uterine ulcers, adhesions, and infertility.[12] Historically, women with these symptoms were treated with leeches, straitjackets, bloodletting, chemical douches, genital mutilation, pregnancy (as a form of treatment), hanging upside down, surgical intervention, and even killing due to suspicion of demonic possession.[12] Hippocratic doctors recognized and treated chronic pelvic pain as a true organic disorder 2,500 years ago, but during the Middle Ages, there was a shift into believing that women with pelvic pain were mad, immoral, imagining the pain, or simply misbehaving.[12] The symptoms of inexplicable chronic pelvic pain were often attributed to imagined madness, female weakness, promiscuity, or hysteria.[12] The historical diagnosis of hysteria, which was thought to be a psychological disease, may have indeed been endometriosis.[12] The idea that chronic pelvic pain was related to mental illness influenced modern attitudes regarding women with endometriosis, leading to delays in correct diagnosis and indifference to the patients' true pain during the 20th century.[12]

Hippocratic doctors believed that delaying childbearing could trigger diseases of the uterus, which caused endometriosis-like symptoms. Women with dysmenorrhea were encouraged to marry and have children at a young age.[12] The fact that Hippocratics were recommending changes in marriage practices due to an endometriosis-like illness implies that this disease was likely common, with rates higher than the 5-15% prevalence that is often cited today.[12] If indeed this disorder was so common historically, this may point away from modern theories that suggest links between endometriosis and dioxins, PCBs, and chemicals.[12]

Signs and symptoms

Drawing showing endometriosis

Pain and infertility are common symptoms, although 20-25% of women are asymptomatic.[4]

Pelvic pain

A major symptom of endometriosis is recurring pelvic pain. The pain can range from mild to severe cramping or stabbing pain that occurs on both sides of the pelvis, in the lower back and rectal area, and even down the legs. The amount of pain a woman feels correlates weakly with the extent or stage (1 through 4) of endometriosis, with some women having little or no pain despite having extensive endometriosis or endometriosis with scarring, while other women may have severe pain even though they have only a few small areas of endometriosis.[13] Symptoms of endometriosis-related pain may include:

  • dysmenorrhea – painful, sometimes disabling cramps during the menstrual period; pain may get worse over time (progressive pain), also lower back pains linked to the pelvis
  • chronic pelvic pain – typically accompanied by lower back pain or abdominal pain
  • dyspareunia – painful sex
  • dysuria – urinary urgency, frequency, and sometimes painful voiding

Compared with women with superficial endometriosis, those with deep disease appear to be more likely to report shooting rectal pain and a sense of their insides being pulled down.[14] Individual pain areas and pain intensity appear to be unrelated to the surgical diagnosis, and the area of pain unrelated to area of endometriosis.[14]

There are multiple causes of pain. Endometriosis lesions react to hormonal stimulation and may "bleed" at the time of menstruation. The blood accumulates locally if it is not cleared shortly by the immune, circulatory, and lymphatic system. This may further lead to swelling, which triggers inflammation with the activation of cytokines, which results in pain. Another source of pain is the organ dislocation that arises from adhesion binding internal organs to each other. The ovaries, the uterus, the oviducts, the peritoneum, and the bladder can be bound together. Pain triggered in this way can last throughout the menstrual cycle, not just during menstrual periods.[15]

Also, endometriotic lesions can develop their own nerve supply, thereby creating a direct and two-way interaction between lesions and the central nervous system, potentially producing a variety of individual differences in pain that can, in some women, become independent of the disease itself.[13] Nerve fibres and blood vessels are thought to grow into endometriosis lesions by a process known as neuroangiogenesis.[16]

Infertility

Plantilla:Main article About a third of women with infertility have endometriosis.[4] Among women with endometriosis about 40% are infertile.[4] The pathogenesis of infertility is dependent on the stage of disease: in early stage disease, it is hypothesised that this is secondary to an inflammatory response that impairs various aspects of conception, whereas in later stage disease distorted pelvic anatomy and adhesions contribute to impaired fertilisation.[17]

Other

Other symptoms include diarrhea or constipation,[14] chronic fatigue,Plantilla:Mcn nausea and vomiting, headaches, low-grade fevers, heavy and/or irregular periods, and hypoglycemia.[18][19]

In addition to pain during menstruation, the pain of endometriosis can occur at other times of the month. There can be a pain with ovulation, pain associated with adhesions, pain caused by inflammation in the pelvic cavity, pain during bowel movements and urination, during general bodily movement like exercise, pain from standing or walking, and pain with intercourse. The most severe pain is typically associated with menstruation. Pain can also start a week before a menstrual period, during and even a week after a menstrual period, or it can be constant. The pain can be debilitating and the emotional stress can take a toll.[20]

There is an association between endometriosis and certain types of cancers, notably some types of ovarian cancer,[21][22] non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and brain cancer.[23] Endometriosis is unrelated to endometrial cancer.[24]

Risk factors

The cause is not entirely clear.[4] Risk factors include having a family history of the condition.[3]

Genetics

Genetic predisposition plays a role.[25] Daughters or sisters of women with endometriosis are at higher risk of developing endometriosis themselves; low progesterone levels may be genetic, and may contribute to a hormone imbalance.[26] There is an about six-fold increased incidence in women with an affected first-degree relative.[27]

It has been proposed that endometriosis results from a series of multiple hits within target genes, in a mechanism similar to the development of cancer.[25] In this case, the initial mutation may be either somatic or heritable.[25]

Individual genomic changes (found by genotyping including genome-wide association studies) that have been associated with endometriosis include:

In addition, there is a weaker association with changes in the fibronectin gene as well as in the 2p14 region of chromosome 2.[28]

There are many findings of altered gene expression and epigenetics, but both of these can also be a secondary result of, for example, environmental factors and altered metabolism. Examples of altered gene expression include that of miRNAs.[25]

Environmental toxins

Some factors associated with endometriosis include:

  • not having given birth (nulliparity)[31]
  • prolonged exposure to estrogen; for example, in late menopause[32] or early menarche[33][34]
  • obstruction of menstrual outflow; for example, in Müllerian anomalies[32]

Several studies have investigated the potential link between exposure to dioxins and endometriosis, but the evidence is equivocal and potential mechanisms are poorly understood.[35] A 2004 review of studies of dioxin and endometriosis concluded that "the human data supporting the dioxin-endometriosis association are scanty and conflicting",[36] and a 2009 follow-up review also found that there was "insufficient evidence" in support of a link between dioxin exposure and women developing endometriosis.[37] A 2008 review concluded that more work was needed, stating that "although preliminary work suggests a potential involvement of exposure to dioxins in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, much work remains to clearly define cause and effect and to understand the potential mechanism of toxicity".[38]

Pathophysiology

Laparoscopic image of endometriotic lesions at the peritoneum of the pelvic wall

While the exact cause of endometriosis remains unknown, many theories have been presented to better understand and explain its development. These concepts do not necessarily exclude each other. The pathophysiology of endometriosis is likely to be multifactorial and to involve an interplay between several factors.[25]

Formation

The main theories for the formation of the ectopic endometrium are retrograde menstruation, Müllerianosis, coelomic metaplasia and transplantation, each further described below.

Retrograde menstruation theory

The theory of retrograde menstruation (also called the implantation theory or transplantation theory)[39] is the oldest theory for the formation of ectopic endometrium in endometriosis.[25] It suggests that during a woman's menstrual flow, some of the endometrial debris flow backwards through the Fallopian tubes and into the peritoneal cavity, attaching itself to the peritoneal surface (the lining of the abdominal cavity) where it can proceed to invade the tissue as endometriosis.[25]

Retrograde menstruation alone is not able to explain all instances of endometriosis, and additional factors such as genetic or immune differences need to be invoked to account for the fact that many women with retrograde menstruation do not have endometriosis. In addition, endometriosis has shown up in people who have never experienced menstruation including men,[40] fetuses,[41] and prepubescent girls.[42][43] Further detracting from the retrograde menstruation theory are cases of endometriosis showing up in the brain[44] and lungs.[45] This theory has numerous other associated issues.[46]

Researchers are investigating the possibility that the immune system may not be able to cope with the cyclic onslaught of retrograde menstrual fluid. In this context there is interest in studying the relationship of endometriosis to autoimmune disease, allergic reactions, and the impact of toxic materials.[47][48] It is still unclear what, if any, causal relationship exists between toxic materials, autoimmune disease, and endometriosis. There are immune system changes in women with endometriosis, such as an increase of macrophage-derived secretion products, but it is unknown if these are contributing to the disorder or are reactions from it.[49]

In addition, at least one study found that endometriotic lesions differ in their biochemistry from artificially transplanted ectopic tissue.[50] This is likely because the cells that give rise to endometriosis are a side population of cells.[25] Similarly, there are changes in for example the mesothelium of the peritoneum in women with endometriosis, such as loss of tight junctions, but it is unknown if these are causes or effects of the disorder.[49]

In rare cases where imperforate hymen does not resolve itself prior to the first menstrual cycle and goes undetected, blood and endometrium are trapped within the uterus of the woman until such time as the problem is resolved by surgical incision. Many health care practitioners never encounter this defect, and due to the flu-like symptoms it is often misdiagnosed or overlooked until multiple menstrual cycles have passed. By the time a correct diagnosis has been made, endometrium and other fluids have filled the uterus and Fallopian tubes with results similar to retrograde menstruation resulting in endometriosis. The initial stage of endometriosis may vary based on the time elapsed between onset and surgical procedure.[cal citació]

The theory of retrograde menstruation as a cause of endometriosis was first proposed by John A. Sampson.

Other theories

  • Stem cells: Endometriosis may arise from stem cells from bone marrow and potentially other sources. In particular, this theory explains endometriosis found in areas remote from the pelvis such as the brain or lungs.[51]
  • Environment: Environmental toxins (e.g., dioxin, nickel) may cause endometriosis.[52][53]
  • Müllerianosis: A theory supported by foetal autopsy is that cells with the potential to become endometrial, which are laid down in tracts during embryonic development called the female reproductive (Müllerian) tract as it migrates downward at 8–10 weeks of embryonic life, could become dislocated from the migrating uterus and act like seeds or stem cells.[54]
  • Coelomic metaplasia: Coelomic cells which are the common ancestor of endometrial and peritoneal cells may undergo metaplasia (transformation) from one type of cell to the other, perhaps triggered by inflammation.[55]
  • Vasculogenesis: Up to 37% of the microvascular endothelium of ectopic endometrial tissue originates from endothelial progenitor cells, which result in de novo formation of microvessels by the process of vasculogenesis rather than the conventional process of angiogenesis.[56][Cal aclariment]
  • Neural growth: An increased expression of new nerve fibres is found in endometriosis but does not fully explain the formation of ectopic endometrial tissue and is not definitely correlated with the amount of perceived pain.[57][Cal aclariment]
  • Autoimmune: Graves disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by hyperthyroidism, goiter, ophthalmopathy, and dermopathy. Women with endometriosis had higher rates of Graves disease. One of these potential links between Graves disease and endometriosis is autoimmunity.[58][59]

Localization

Fitxer:Endometriosis loc en.svg
Possible locations of endometriosis

Most often, endometriosis is found on the:

Less common sites are:

Rarely, endometriosis appears in other parts of the body, such as the lungs, brain, and skin.[3]

Rectovaginal or bowel endometriosis affects approximately 5-12% of women with endometriosis, and can cause severe pain with bowel movements.[60]

Endometriosis may spread to the cervix and vagina or to sites of a surgical abdominal incision, known as "scar endometriosis."[61] Risk factors for scar endometriosis include previous abdominal surgeries, such as a hysterotomy or cesarean section, or ectopic pregnancies, salpingostomy puerperal sterilization, laparoscopy, amniocentesis, appendectomy, episiotomy, vaginal hysterectomies, and hernia repair.[62][63][64]

Endometriosis may also present with skin lesions in cutaneous endometriosis.

Less commonly lesions can be found on the diaphragm. Diaphragmatic endometriosis is rare, almost always on the right hemidiaphragm, and may inflict the cyclic pain of the right shoulder just before and during a menstrual period. Rarely, endometriosis can be extraperitoneal and is found in the lungs and CNS.[65]

Diagnosis

Transvaginal ultrasonography showing a 67 x 40 mm endometrioma as distinguished from other types of ovarian cysts by a somewhat grainy and not completely anechoic content

A health history and a physical examination can lead the health care practitioner to suspect endometriosis. Although doctors can often feel the endometrial growths during a pelvic exam, and these symptoms may be signs of endometriosis, diagnosis cannot be confirmed by exam only.

In the UK, there is an average of 7.5 years between a woman first seeing a doctor about their symptoms and receiving a firm diagnosis.[66]

Vaginal ultrasound

Use of pelvic ultrasound may identify large endometriotic cysts (called endometriomas). However, smaller endometriosis implants cannot be visualized with ultrasound technique.[cal citació]

Vaginal ultrasound has a clinical value in the diagnosis of endometrioma and before operating for deep endometriosis.[67] This applies to the identification of the spread of disease in women with well-established clinical suspicion of endometriosis.[67] Vaginal ultrasound is inexpensive, easily accessible, has no contraindications and requires no preparation.[67] Healthcare professionals conducting ultrasound examinations need to be experienced.[67] By extending the ultrasound assessment into the posterior and anterior pelvic compartments the sonographer is able to evaluate structural mobility and look for deep infiltrating endometriotic nodules noting the size, location and distance from the anus if applicable.[68] An improvement in sonographic detection of deep infiltrating endometriosis will not only reduce the number of diagnostic laparoscopies, it will guide management and enhance quality of life.[68]

Laparoscopy

Laparoscopic image of endometriotic lesions in the Pouch of Douglas and on the right sacrouterine ligament

Laparoscopy, a surgical procedure where a camera is used to look inside the abdominal cavity, is the only way to officially diagnose endometriosis as it permits lesion visualization unless the lesion is visible externally (e.g., an endometriotic nodule in the vagina). If the growths are not visible, a biopsy may be taken to determine the diagnosis.[69] Surgery for diagnoses also allows for surgical treatment of endometriosis at the same time.

To the eye, lesions can appear dark blue, powder-burn black, red, white, yellow, brown or non-pigmented. Lesions vary in size. Some within the pelvis walls may not be visible, as normal-appearing peritoneum of infertile women reveals endometriosis on biopsy in 6–13% of cases.[70] Early endometriosis typically occurs on the surfaces of organs in the pelvic and intra-abdominal areas. Health care providers may call areas of endometriosis by different names, such as implants, lesions, or nodules. Larger lesions may be seen within the ovaries as endometriomas or "chocolate cysts", "chocolate" because they contain a thick brownish fluid, mostly old blood.[cal citació]

Frequently during diagnostic laparoscopy, no lesions are found in women with chronic pelvic pain, a symptom common to other disorders including adenomyosis, pelvic adhesions, pelvic inflammatory disease, congenital anomalies of the reproductive tract, and ovarian or tubal masses.[71]

Staging

Surgically, endometriosis can be staged I–IV by the revised classification of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine from 1997.[72] The process is a complex point system that assesses lesions and adhesions in the pelvic organs, but it is important to note staging assesses physical disease only, not the level of pain or infertility. A person with Stage I endometriosis may have a little disease and severe pain, while a person with Stage IV endometriosis may have severe disease and no pain or vice versa. In principle the various stages show these findings:Plantilla:Mcn

Stage I (Minimal)
Findings restricted to only superficial lesions and possibly a few filmy adhesions
Stage II (Mild)
In addition, some deep lesions are present in the cul-de-sac
Stage III (Moderate)
As above, plus the presence of endometriomas on the ovary and more adhesions.
Stage IV (Severe)
As above, plus large endometriomas, extensive adhesions.

Markers

An area of research is the search for endometriosis markers.[73]

In 2010, essentially all proposed biomarkers for endometriosis were of unclear medical use, although some appear to be promising.[73] The one biomarker that has been in use over the last 20 years is CA-125.[73] A 2016 review found that in those with symptoms of endometriosis; and, once ovarian cancer has been ruled out, a positive CA-125 may confirm the diagnosis.[74] Its performance in ruling out endometriosis, however, is low.[74] CA-125 levels appear to fall during endometriosis treatment, but has not shown a correlation with disease response.[73]

Another review in 2011 identified several putative biomarkers upon biopsy, including findings of small sensory nerve fibers or defectively expressed β3 integrin subunit.[75] It has been postulated a future diagnostic tool for endometriosis will consist of a panel of several specific and sensitive biomarkers, including both substance concentrations and genetic predisposition.[73]

Histopathology

Endometriosis, abdominal wall
Micrograph showing endometriosis (right) and ovarian stroma (left). H&E stain.
Micrograph of the wall of an endometrioma. All features of endometriosis are present (endometrial glands, endometrial stroma and hemosiderin-laden macrophages). H&E stain.

Typical endometriotic lesions show histopathologic features similar to endometrium, namely endometrial stroma, endometrial epithelium, and glands that respond to hormonal stimuli. Older lesions may display no glands but hemosiderin deposits (see photomicrograph on right) as residual.[cal citació]

Immunohistochemistry has been found to be useful in diagnosing endometriosis as stromal cells have a peculiar surface antigen, CD10, thus allowing the pathologist go straight to a staining area and hence confirm the presence of stromal cells and sometimes glandular tissue is thus identified that was missed on routine H&E staining.[76]Plantilla:Better source

Pain quantification

The most common pain scale for quantification of endometriosis-related pain is the visual analogue scale (VAS); VAS and numerical rating scale (NRS) were the best adapted pain scales for pain measurement in endometriosis. For research purposes, and for more detailed pain measurement in clinical practice, VAS or NRS for each type of typical pain related to endometriosis (dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia and non-menstrual chronic pelvic pain), combined with the clinical global impression (CGI) and a quality of life scale, are used.[77]

Prevention

Limited evidence indicates that the use of combined oral contraceptives is associated with a reduced risk of endometriosis.[6]

Management

While there is no cure for endometriosis, there are two types of interventions; treatment of pain and treatment of endometriosis-associated infertility.[78] In many women, menopause (natural or surgical) will abate the process.[79] In women in the reproductive years, endometriosis is merely managed: the goal is to provide pain relief, to restrict progression of the process, and to restore or preserve fertility where needed. In younger women, surgical treatment attempts to remove endometrial tissue and preserve the ovaries without damaging normal tissue.[80]

In general, the diagnosis of endometriosis is confirmed during surgery, at which time ablative steps can be taken. Further steps depend on circumstances: a woman without infertility can be managed with hormonal medication that suppresses the natural cycle and pain medication, while an infertile woman may be treated expectantly after surgery, with fertility medication, or with IVF. As to the surgical procedure, ablation (or fulguration) of endometriosis (burning and vaporizing the lesions with an electric device) has shown a high rate of short-term recurrence after the procedure. The best surgical procedure with much lower rate of short-term recurrence is to excise (cut and remove) the lesions completely.Plantilla:Mcn

Surgery

Conservative treatment consists of the excision of the endometrium, adhesions, resection of endometriomas, and restoration of normal pelvic anatomy as much as is possible.[81] Endometrioma on the ovary of any significant size (Approx. 2 cm +) —sometimes misdiagnosed as ovarian cysts— must be removed surgically because hormonal treatment alone will not remove the full endometrioma cyst, which can progress to acute pain from the rupturing of the cyst and internal bleeding.Plantilla:Mcn Laparoscopy, besides being used for diagnosis, can also be used to perform surgery. It's considered a "minimally invasive" surgery because the surgeon makes very small openings (incisions) at (or around) the belly button and lower portion of the belly. A thin telescope-like instrument (the laparoscope) is placed through one incision, which allows the doctor to look for endometriosis using a small camera attached to the laparoscope. Small instruments are inserted through the incisions to remove the endometriosis tissue and adhesions. Because the incisions are very small, there will only be small scars on the skin after the procedure, and all endometriosis can be removed, and women recover from surgery quicker and have a lower risk of adhesions.[82]

55% to 100% of women develop adhesions following pelvic surgery,[83] which can result in infertility, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and difficult reoperative surgery. Trehan's temporary ovarian suspension, a technique in which the ovaries are suspended for a week after surgery may be used to reduce the incidence of adhesions after endometriosis surgery.[84][85]

Conservative treatment involves excision of endometriosis while preserving the ovaries and uterus, very important for women wishing to conceive, but may increase the risk of recurrence.[86]

Endometriosis recurrence following conservative surgery is estimated as 21.5% at 2 years and 40-50% at 5 years.[87]

A hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) can be used to treat endometriosis in women who do not wish to conceive. However, this should only be done when combined with removal of the endometriosis by excision, as if endometriosis is not also removed at the time of hysterectomy, pain may persist.[88]

For women with extreme pain, a presacral neurectomy may be very rarely performed where the nerves to the uterus are cut. However, this technique is almost never used due to the high incidence of associated complications including presacral hematoma and irreversible problems with urination and constipation.[88]

Hormonal medications

  • Hormonal birth control therapy: Birth control pills reduce the menstrual pain associated with endometriosis.[89] They may function by reducing or eliminating menstrual flow and providing estrogen support. Combined estrogen–progestogen birth control is the first-line treatment for most women with endometriosis due to its ability to be used over long periods of time, relative inexpensiveness and ease of use, and additional benefit of reducing ovarian/endometrial cancer risk.[90]
  • Progestogens: Progesterone counteracts estrogen and inhibits the growth of the endometrium.[91] Such therapy can reduce or eliminate menstruation in a controlled and reversible fashion. Progestins are chemical variants of natural progesterone. An example of a progestin is dienogest (Visanne). Whilst progestogens are often given as part of a combined hormonal therapy with the addition of estrogen, progestogen-only therapy may be an acceptable alternative.
  • Danazol (Danocrine) and gestrinone (Dimetrose, Nemestran) are suppressive steroids with some androgenic activity.[80] Both agents inhibit the growth of endometriosis but their use remains limited as they may cause masculinizing side effects such as excessive hair growth and voice changes.Plantilla:Mcn
  • Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) modulators: These drugs include GnRH agonists such as leuprorelin (Lupron) and GnRH antagonists such as elagolix (Orilissa) and are thought to work by decreasing estrogen levels.[92] A 2010 Cochrane review found that GnRH modulators were more effective for pain relief in endometriosis than no treatment or placebo, but were no more effective than danazol or intrauterine progestogen, and had more side effects than danazol.[92] A 2018 Swedish systematic review found that GnRH modulators had similar pain-relieving effects to gestagen, but also decreased bone density.[67]
  • Aromatase inhibitors are medications that block the formation of estrogen and have become of interest for researchers who are treating endometriosis.[93] Examples of aromatase inhibitors include anastrozole and letrozole. Evidence for aromatase inhibitors is limited due to the limited number and quality of studies available, though show promising benefit in terms of pain control.[94]

Other medication

  • NSAIDs: Anti-inflammatory. They are commonly used in conjunction with other therapy. For more severe cases narcotic prescription drugs may be used. NSAID injections can be helpful for severe pain or if stomach pain prevents oral NSAID use. Examples of NSAIDs include ibuprofen and naproxen.
  • Opioids: Morphine sulphate tablets and other opioid painkillers work by mimicking the action of naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals called "endorphins". There are different long acting and short acting medications that can be used alone or in combination to provide appropriate pain control.
  • Following laparoscopic surgery women who were given Chinese herbs were reported to have comparable benefits to women with conventional drug treatments, though the journal article that reviewed this study also noted that "the two trials included in this review are of poor methodological quality so these findings must be interpreted cautiously. Better quality randomised controlled trials are needed to investigate a possible role for CHM [Chinese Herbal Medicine] in the treatment of endometriosis."[95]
  • Pentoxifylline, an immunomodulating agent, has been theorized to improve pain as well as improve pregnancy rates in women with endometriosis. A 2012 Cochrane review, however, found that there was not enough evidence to support the effectiveness or safety of either of these uses.[96] Current American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines do not include immune-modulators, such as pentoxifylline, in standard treatment protocols.[97]
  • Angiogenesis inhibitors lack clinical evidence of efficacy in endometriosis therapy.[98] Under experimental in vitro and in vivo conditions, compounds that have been shown to exert inhibitory effects on endometriotic lesions include growth factor inhibitors, endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors, fumagillin analogues, statins, cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors, phytochemical compounds, immunomodulators, dopamine agonists, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists, progestins, danazol and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists.[98] However, many of these agents are associated with undesirable side effects and more research is necessary. An ideal therapy would diminish inflammation and underlying symptoms without being contraceptive.[99][100]

The overall effectiveness of manual physical therapy to treat endometriosis has not yet been identified.[101] There is no evidence to support nutritional therapy as effective.

Comparison of interventions

Medicinal and surgical interventions produce roughly equivalent pain-relief benefits. Recurrence of pain was found to be 44 and 53 percent with medicinal and surgical interventions, respectively.[26] Each approach has advantages and disadvantages.[55] Manual therapy showed a decrease in pain for 84 percent of study participants, and a 93 percent improvement in sexual function.Plantilla:MEDRS[102]

A 2013 evidence on how effective medication is for relieving pain associated with endometriosis was limited .[78] A 2018 Swedish systematic review found a large number of studies but a general lack of scientific evidence for most treatments.[67] There was only one study of sufficient quality and relevance comparing the effect of surgery and non-surgery.[103] Cohort studies indicate that surgery is effective in decreasing pain.[103] Most complications occurred in cases of low intestinal anastomosis, while risk of fistula occurred in cases of combined abdominal or vaginal surgery, and urinary tract problems were common in intestinal surgery.[103] The evidence was found to be insufficient regarding surgical intervention.[103]

The advantages of surgery are demonstrated efficacy for pain control,[104] it is more effective for infertility than medicinal intervention,[80] it provides a definitive diagnosis,[80] and surgery can often be performed as a minimally invasive (laparoscopic) procedure to reduce morbidity and minimize the risk of post-operative adhesions.[105] Efforts to develop effective strategies to reduce or prevent adhesions have been undertaken, but their formation remain a frequent side effect of abdominal surgery.[83]

The advantages of physical therapy techniques are decreased cost, absence of major side-effects, it does not interfere with fertility, and near-universal increase of sexual function.[102] Disadvantages are that there are no large or long-term studies of its use for treating pain or infertility related to endometriosis.[102]

Treatment of infertility

Plantilla:Main article Surgery is more effective than medicinal intervention for addressing infertility associated with endometriosis.[80] Surgery attempts to remove endometrial tissue and preserve the ovaries without damaging normal tissue.[80] In-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures are effective in improving fertility in many women with endometriosis.Plantilla:Mcn

During fertility treatment, the ultralong pretreatment with GnRH-agonist has a higher chance of resulting in pregnancy for women with endometriosis, compared to the short pretreatment.[67]

Outcomes

Proper counseling of women with endometriosis requires attention to several aspects of the disorder. Of primary importance is the initial operative staging of the disease to obtain adequate information on which to base future decisions about therapy. The woman's symptoms and desire for childbearing dictate appropriate therapy. Not all therapy works for all women. Some women have recurrences after surgery or pseudo-menopause. In most cases, treatment will give women significant relief from pelvic pain and assist them in achieving pregnancy.[106]

The underlying process that causes endometriosis may not cease after a surgical or medical intervention. Studies have shown that endometriosis recurs at a rate of 20 to 40 percent within five years following conservative surgery,Plantilla:MEDRS[107] unless hysterectomy is performed or menopause reached. Monitoring of women consists of periodic clinical examinations and sonography.

Complications

Complications of endometriosis include internal scarring, adhesions, pelvic cysts, chocolate cysts of ovaries, ruptured cysts, and bowel and ureter obstruction resulting from pelvic adhesions.[108] Endometriosis-associated infertility can be related to scar formation and anatomical distortions due to the endometriosis.[3]

Ovarian endometriosis may complicate pregnancy by decidualization, abscess and/or rupture.[109]

Thoracic endometriosis is associated with recurrent pneumothoraces at times of a menstrual period, termed catamenial pneumothorax.[110]

A 20-year study of 12,000 women with endometriosis found that women under 40 who are diagnosed with endometriosis are 3 times more likely to have heart problems than their healthy peers.[111][112]

It results in few deaths.[9]

Epidemiology

One estimate is that 10.8 million people are affected globally as of 2015.[7] Other sources estimate about 6–10% of women are affected.[4] It may affect more than 11% of American women between 15 and 44.[3] Endometriosis is most common in those in their thirties and forties; however, it can begin in girls as early as 8 years old.[3][8]

It can affect any female, from premenarche to postmenopause, regardless of race or ethnicity or whether or not they have had children. It is primarily a disease of the reproductive years.[113] Incidences of endometriosis have occurred in postmenopausal women,[114] and in less common cases, girls may have endometriosis symptoms before they even reach menarche.[115][116]

Society and culture

As recently as 1995, reports found that over 50% of women with chronic pelvic pain had no organic cause, with women still often being considered mentally unstable.[117] Self-help groups say practitioners delay making the diagnosis, often because they do not consider it a possibility. In the US, as of 2007, about 27% of women with endometriosis had had the symptoms for at least six years before it is diagnosed.[cal actualització][118]

The economic effects associated with endometriosis are substantial and are similar to that of other chronic diseases such as Crohn's disease, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.[119] This economic burden is attributed mostly to the inability to consistently work and predicted by decreased quality of life.[119]

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