Postmenopausal endometriosis is often neglected

Endometriosis in later life should not be underestimated

Key Points

Highlights :

• Endometriosis is regarded as a hormone-dependent disorder of reproductive years, so its occurrence in postmenopausal women is unclear.

Importance:

• The occurrence of endometriosis in postmenopausal women may herald a state of altered immunity besides carrying a higher risk of malignant transformation.

What's done here :

• The authors have presented a clear and concise overview of the published scientific data on postmenopausal endometriosis to yield an up-to-date and concise precis on the subject.

 Main key feature :

• The occurrence of endometriosis postmenopausally is an overlooked situation that may take place years after menopause even in the absence of iatrogenic estrogen supplementation or increased inherent synthesis.

Lay Summary

Romanian academicians led by Dr. Mihai-Daniel Dinu have published their review of the published scientific data related to postmenopausal endometriosis in a recent special issue of the medical periodical Life.

Even though endometriosis is accepted as a hormone-dependent disorder of reproductive years, endometriosis in postmenopausal patients may occur in a similar way to endometriosis in premenopausal patients. Some researchers have claimed the potential involvement of  the immune system in the development of endometriosis,

Complaints of pelvic pain commonly underestimate the severity of the disease in both pre-and postmenopausal endometriosis.

Transvaginal sonography has an important role and is now being advocated as the primary investigative method for endometriosis due to the sensitivity of extensive visualization of the pelvis besides its cost-effectiveness. Postmenopausal endometriosis may develop many years after menopause in the absence of exogenous estrogen supplementation or increased inherent synthesis.

The most frequent anatomic location in postmenopausal endometriosis seems to be the ovaries. Though the etiopathogenesis is not clear yet endometriosis in postmenopausal women should be taken into consideration in the case of pelvic pain, even without a previous medical history.

The association of postmenopausal endometriosis with a high risk of malignancy emphasizes the clinical importance of early diagnosis.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38672755/