Chronic stress may be involved both in the pathogenesis and progression of endometriosis
Chong Lu and associates from Shangai, China have published their novel research on chronic stress and endometriosis in a recent issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences. During the natural course of endometriosis many patients are under chronic stress, which…
Key Points Lay SummaryIs Your Surgeon Stressed?
Stress during endometriosis surgery among surgeons is greater than what they anticipate, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. The stress symptoms reported by surgeons start before surgery and is more common among…
Key Points Lay SummaryA herbal product has promising results in experimental endometriosis
Neroli oil (bitter orange) is a nontoxic volatile substance from the flowers of Citrus aurantium that belongs to the Rutaceae family. This oil has notable anti-inflammatory effects besides potent antioxidant activity with 100% singlet oxygen scavenging activity. Contemporary pathophysiological views…
Key Points Lay SummaryElevated iron levels in "endometriosis pathogenesis"
The presence of abnormal levels of iron and ferritin in endometriotic lesions is likely due to repeated bleeding episodes. When red blood cells break down, the iron content is released, which can cause inflammation leading to damage to surrounding tissues.…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis and Progesterone Resistance
Progesterone resistance is the unresponsiveness of endometrium with subsequent dysregulation of the progesterone signaling pathway, and endometrial gene works. Progestins, on the other hand, are the first-line treatment choice, especially for long-term treatment of endometriosis. In the clinics, one-third of…
Key Points Lay SummaryIntegrative medical management of endometriosis
This lecture entitled "Integrative Medical Management of Endometriosis" was presented by Dr. Pinar Kodaman, Director of the endoscopic reproductive surgery program and Assoc. Professor of Clinical ObGyn and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. In addition to surgery which…
Key Points Lay SummaryThis time it is good to have this stress: Endoplasmic reticulum stress and endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a hormone-based inflammatory disease. Cell-level therapeutic options are very popular when resistance to cell death capacity of endometriotic cells is on the table. In the review conducted by Hussein Riyadh Abdul Kareem Al‑Hetty et al, the authors summarized…
Key Points Lay SummaryHypoxia and endometriosis: A review of mechanisms
Various mechanisms have been suggested to explain the development of endometriosis lesions. One of these is hypoxia, which can induce changes in endometrial cells, but the exact mechanism is not yet clear. Zhou et al from China wrote a review…
Key Points Lay SummaryScientific unfolding will lead new drug targets
Drs. Dolmans and Donnez from academic institutions located in Brussels, Belgium, have published their comprehensive review on the current pathophysiological concepts in endometriosis with possible drug treatment potentials in the recent issue of a scientific journal named “Biomolecules”. As a…
Key Points Lay SummaryIs endometriosis an oxidative stress-induced inflammation?
The roots of endometriosis are still controversial, but the effects of inflammation and oxidative stress have been accepted by scientific authorities. In the review conducted by Lauren Clower et al, the studies about oxidative stress and endometriosis have been analyzed.…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe role of oxidative stress on endometriosis symptomatology
Endometriosis is not only a hormonal disease, but it is also an inflammatory illness provoked by hormones. In the review conducted by Hossein Ansariniya et al., from Iran, the relation between oxidative stress, free radicals, free iron, and the development of…
Key Points Lay SummaryMindfullness Can Hep Reduce Endometriosis Pain
A brief mindfulness-based intervention can be useful in managing pain related to endometriosis and restoring patients’ psychological well-being, found a new study published in the European Journal of Pain. This finding contributes to the applicability of mindfulness-based interventions in people…
Key Points Lay SummaryPhysical activity and exercise in reducing endometriosis symptoms
The treatment modalities to date on endometriosis have focused on the symptomatic relief and management of chronic pain. Hormonal suppression sometimes shows intolerable side effects and is known to lose effect after some time. Surgical interventions may not provide a…
Key Points Lay SummaryEnvorinmental metals harmful for female reproductivity
Heavy metals exposure in a wide range of ways is one of the main causes of increased infertility. According to the 2003 National Health Survey, nearly every pregnant woman in the USA is exposed to at least 43 hazardous chemicals…
Key Points Lay Summary“Sirtuin-3” as a novel target in endometriosis pathogenesis
The energy that is needed for a normal cell function is produced in the mitochondria. While producing this energy, a complex and cyclical process occurs with many proteins and enzymes. Enzymes such as glutamate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase play important…
Key Points Lay SummaryWhat causes distress in women with endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disease that affects a woman’s life from many different aspects; emotionally, sexually, and physiologically. With the burden of the distress caused by the disease, most women suffer from anxiety and depression. This results in lower self-esteem and…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe higher the cyst fluid iron concentration, the more severe the pain symptom for endometrioma
Endometriosis usually is encountered in three different forms: superficial peritoneal endometriosis, ovarian cysts (endometrioma) and deep infiltrating endometriosis. Endometrioma can be identified as cystic lesions consisting of dark brown endometrial fluid and are sometimes referred to as "chocolate cysts." The presence…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe effects of endometriosis on life satisfaction.
Endometriosis is well-known for its debilitating effects on women suffering from it. In the review conducted by Masoumeh Namazi et al, the authors have collected studies searching for the wellbeing of women with endometriosis. They have analyzed 46 studies that…
Key Points Lay SummaryAntioxidant therapy for the endometriosis pain
Ts the protective defense mechanism of cells, hence the destruction of balance between oxidants and antioxidants in our body is called "redox imbalance". The major oxidants are reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are involved in multiple cellular processes by physiologically…
Key Points Lay SummaryOxidative stress, reactive products, detoxification, endometriosis and pain
Oxidative stress is one factor known to be involved in the pathogenesis, progression, and establishment of endometriosis in women. During oxidative stress, excess reactive oxygen species as a secondary by-product of lipid peroxidation and reactive aldehyde including 4- hydroxynonenal…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe "metabolome" of follicular fluid in deep infiltrating endometriosis
Endometriosis encompasses three different phenotypes, being superficial endometriosis, deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), and ovarian endometrioma (OMA). The latter is the most severe form and has an unfavorable impact on ovarian function. Infertility associated with endometriosis has been linked to chronic…
Key Points Lay SummaryCould Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Increase the Risk of Endometriosis?
The use of cosmetics and personal care products may be increasing the risk of endometriosis according to a study by Spanish researchers that was published in the journal "Environmental Research". This finding suggests that restricting the use of these products may…
Key Points Lay SummaryAn animal model of endometriosis reveals stress related disturbed vitamin D - vitamin D receptor axis
Lopez and colleagues from academic institutions of Puerto Rico published their experimental endometriosis findings on female rats regarding the effect of stress on vitamin D-vitamin D receptor systems and recently published their findings in "Reproductive Sciences". The group previously showed…
Key Points Lay SummaryColorectal Deep Endometriosis Resection and Potential Complications
A severe clinical form of endometriosis, deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is characterized by more aggressive endometriotic lesions commonly involving deeper pelvic or gastrointestinal organs. It causes significant quality of life impairment and morbidity and is increasingly associated with infertility. When…
Key Points Lay SummaryFactors affecting the quality of life of women with endometriosis
Results from a new study suggest that the quality of life of women with endometriosis is significantly affected by their confidence to manage pain and their belief in the evolution of their condition. In this study, led by Rees M. et…
Key Points Lay SummaryAntioxidant Enzymes in Endometriosis
Recent attention has been focused on the effect of oxidative stress in the development of endometriosis. Especially, there are several studies regarding glutathione peroxidase (GPX), a major enzyme in removing various reactive oxygen species. In the field of infertility, the…
Key Points Lay SummaryMental stress promotes mice endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease for which pathogenesis and progression are not fully understood. Inflammation is one of the key candidates that might be related to the creation or progression of endometriosis. In the study conducted by Kawakita et al from…
Key Points Lay SummaryOxidative stress leads to elevated cytokines, excessive structural damage and angiogenesis
Endometriosis is characterized by elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species, which is then believed to upregulate inflammatory cytokines. Reactive oxygen species also regulate the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), which is closely linked with immune responses.…
Key Points Lay SummaryFertility and Oxidative Stress
One of the characteristics of endometriosis is oxidative stress caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and their resolution by antioxidants. Increased oxidative stress can lead to the damage of proteins, lipids, DNA and other molecules.…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe Relationship Between Dyspareunia and Infertility in Endometriosis
Wahl et al. from the Center of Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis British Columbia Women's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada studied with endometriotic patients suffering from dyspareunia who were referred to their center and built a cross-sectional study to investigate the relations between…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
Endometriosis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease show the same pathologic mechanism in terms of endothelial dysfunction. Tan et al. from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada reviewed the literature aiming to determine whether women…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe role of inflammation, oxidative stress, angiogenesis, and apoptosis in the pathophysiology of endometriosis
Endometriosis is a very common gynecological disorder affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-aged women, and it is known by the abnormal growth of endometrial stroma and glands outside the uterus. Though the pathogenesis of endometriosis is not clearly understood so far,…
Key Points Lay SummaryDoes ovarian endometriosis affect oocyte quality?
Endometriosis is a very common gynecological disorder affecting women in their reproductive years. It is reported that patients with endometriosis have reduced implantation and pregnancy rates compared to healthy women. According to the various previous studies, the quality of the…
Key Points Lay SummarySearching new biomarkers for endometriosis
This recent article published in Advances in Clinical Chemistry, is an overall summary of characteristics, physiopathological theories, diagnostic approaches and variety of biomarkers to diagnose endometriosis and penned by Coutinho et al. from Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Belo Horizonte,…
Key Points Lay SummaryThe relationship between periodontal disease and endometriosis
Thomas et al. have recently studied the association between endometriosis and periodontal disease which may share a common pathogenesis, and have published it in the Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences. The authors screened a total of50 women; 25 with and 25…
Key Points Lay SummaryAn overlooked symptom of endometriosis: Fatigue
A majority of endometriosis patients experience fatigue. This is according to a multicenter study conducted by a group of researchers from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Fatigue, and feeling spoonie, may be a symptom of endometriosis affecting the daily activities and…
Key Points Lay SummaryIs Physical Exercise Effective in Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility are mostly encountered symptoms of endometriosis. Although there are several theories explaining the pathogenesis of endometriosis, the exact pathogenesis still has…
Key Points Lay SummaryPain and emotion regulation predict health-related quality of life
Studies have established that pain in endometriosis is negatively correlated with HRQL and that endometriosis is associated with psychological problems, anxiety, depression, distress and poor coping ability. It has been observed that some mental conditions associated with endometriosis are modulated…
Key Points Lay SummaryVitamin C supplementation in the patients with endometriosis undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer
Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial stromal and glandular cells outside the uterine cavity. Women having endometriosis present with dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. Thus, infertility remains a significant problem for women with endometriosis. Endometriosis is…
Key Points Lay Summary“Free butterflies will come out of these deep wounds”: A grounded theory of how endometriosis affects women’s psychological health
Researchers from the Catholic University of Milan and the University of Milan note in Journal of Health Psychology that although qualitative research describes the negative impact of endometriosis on quality of life and psychological well-being, studies that analyze individual differences…
Key Points Lay SummaryOxidative Stress and Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease characterized by ectopic endometrial tissue outside the endometrium and is associated with a background of a chronic inflammation. Recent studies have aimed to elucidate the inflammatory mediators involved in endometriotic lesions by studying immune cell interactions,…
Key Points Lay SummaryN-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid and bromelain improved endometriosis-associated pelvic pain
Oxidative stress has been implicated in many processes that lead to the development and progression of endometriosis. Typically, women with endometriosis have to endure pelvic pain which negatively impacts their quality of life. Pelvic pain can be chronic and related…
Key Points Lay SummaryDetecting endometriosis using peripheral blood
Laparoscopic visualization of endometriotic lesions with histological confirmation is the gold standard for the diagnosis of endometriosis. However, this diagnostic procedure, due to the need for laparoscopy and variability of disease/symptoms, can have a major delay up to 8-10 years…
Key Points Lay SummaryA Doctor's Guide to Making Endometriosis Less Scary
Canis, Bourdel, and Chauvet, doctors from CHU Estaing, recently published an article titled “Endometriosis: frightening the patients is not an acceptable alternative to inadequate surgical management and or pathophysiology ignorance” in Fertility and Sterility. Their paper delineated proper health practices…
Key Points Lay SummaryExpert discussion on mechanisms of endometriosis development and progression
Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the occurrence and worsening of endometriosis. Classically, it is believed that retrograde menstruation causes endometriosis. However, the presence of endometriosis in newly menarcheal or pre-menarcheal girls cannot fully explain this early onset endometriosis.…
Key Points Lay SummaryAnother Marker to Predict the Outcome of IVF for Women with Endometriosis
AOPPs or advanced oxidative protein products may be new markers to predict egg quality and the outcomes of IVF in infertile women with endometriosis according to a study published in the journal Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. This finding suggests that anti-oxidative treatments…
Key Points Lay SummaryHair Cortisol Levels are Higher in Women Suffering from Endometriosis
Aken et al. recently published a piece in Psychoneuroendocrinology titled “Hair cortisol and the relationship with chronic pain and quality of life in endometriosis patients.” This publication discussed a study that analyzed hair cortisol levels in women with and without endometriosis. Hair cortisol levels…
Key Points Lay SummaryA Potential New Target for the Treatment of Endometriosis
A protein called STIP1 could be facilitating the migration of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, therefore, leading to endometriosis according to a study by Taiwanese researchers. The protein could, thus, be used as a potential therapeutic target for endometriosis. For…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis pathogenesis through the lens of reactive oxygen species
Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species is an essential factor in endometriosis pathogenesis. The harmful effects of reactive oxygen species have been implicated in many diseases, although the multiple biological changes caused is unclear especially in endometriosis. The article…
Key Points Lay SummaryStress affects endometriosis negatively
Stress contributes to many chronic health problems – endometriosis is one of them. Given that women with endometriosis are under more stress and pain, often with the added stress of infertility, it is important to understand the relationship between stress…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis and Oxidative Stress
The etiology of endometriosis is still unclear. However, it is now widely accepted that oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants, may be implicated in the pathophysiology of endometriosis causing a general inflammatory response…
Key Points Lay SummaryA Two-Wave Molecular Mechanism for Endometriosis Disease Progression
Kobayashi et al. recently published a review paper in Molecular Medicine Reports titled “Pathogenesis of endometriosis: The role of initial infection and subsequent sterile inflammation,” which discusses at length the role of non-specific bacterial infection and sterile inflammation in the…
Key Points Lay SummaryEndometriosis and Psychological Health: Butterflies from Deep Wounds
Endometriosis is a grueling disease in every sense of the word; however, most of the discussions center on the physical manifestations of the disease. Facchin et al. veer from the beaten path and examine the impact endometriosis have on a…
Key Points Lay SummaryAgents Causing Red Blood Cell Lysis Worsens Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a painful disease characterized by inflammation and the presence of pro-oxidation factors. These pro-oxidation factors are also released when red blood cells (RBCs) lyse. A paper titled “Dapsone hydroxylamine-mediated alterations in human red blood cells from endometriotic patients”…
Key Points Lay SummaryNew Molecular Targets for the Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Pain
The study identifies potential new targets for alleviating chronic pelvic pain that afflicts many women with endometriosis. A new study published in the scientific journal Redox Biology shows that molecules called microRNAs could be a potential new target to combat…
Lay SummaryIncreased Oxidative Stress in Endometriosis may Be Linked to Higher Risk of Ovarian Cancer
In the study that was published in the scientific journal Translational Oncogenomics, a group of researchers led by Dr. Hariyono Winarto from the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta identified increased oxidative stress as one of the causes that might explain the…
Lay Summary