Mary Ellen Pavone

CONTEXT: Anovulation is likely responsible for 20% of female infertility. Although clomiphene citrate remains the first-line therapy for ovulation induction in anovulatory patients who are not estrogen-deficient and to treat unexplained inf…

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that commonly occurs in women of reproductive age and is associated with pain and infertility. This disease can be challenging to manage given its propensity to progress and recur despite treatment. …

OBJECTIVE: To define altered gene expression networks in endometriosis. DESIGN: Experiments using endometriotic tissues and primary cells. SETTING: Division of Reproductive Biology Research, Northwestern University. PATIENT(S): Premenopa…

OBJECTIVE: To review the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) for the treatment of endometriosis. DESIGN: Literature review. CONCLUSION(S): Most studies show that in reproductive-age women, the combination of AI with conventional therapy all…

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of inhibiting aromatase activity on endometrial lesion growth and aromatase expression in a baboon model of induced endometriosis. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Primate research institute. ANIMAL(…

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent gynecological disease that affects 6–10% of women of reproductive age. It is a major cause of chronic pelvic pain and infertility, and poses a heavy financial burden on society, with annual estimates t…

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease. The biologically active estrogen, estradiol, aggravates the pathological processes (e.g., inflammation and growth) and the symptoms (e.g., pain) associated with endometriosis. Abundant quantit…

BACKGROUND: Retinoic acid (RA) regulates key biological processes, including differentiation, apoptosis and cell survival. RA mediates induction of 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 mRNA, catalyzing the conversion of estradiol to …

CONTEXT: Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women in the United States and causes pain and infertility. Decidualization of endometrial stromal cells from women with endometriosis is aberrant. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study …

Approximately half of women with endometriosis achieve pain relief from existing medical or surgical treatments. Medical treatments are usually directed at inhibiting estrogen action or its production from the ovaries and do not address loc…

Estradiol (E2) stimulates the growth and inflammation in the ectopic endometriotic tissue that commonly resides on the pelvic organs. Several clinical and laboratory-based observations are indicative of resistance to progesterone action in …

CONTEXT: Retinoic acid (RA) controls multiple biological processes via exerting opposing effects on cell survival. Retinol uptake into cells is controlled by stimulated by RA 6 (STRA6). RA is then produced from retinol in the cytosol. Parti…

Loss of progesterone signaling in the endometrium may be a causal factor in the development of endometriosis, and progesterone resistance is commonly observed in women with this disease. In endometriotic stromal cells, the levels of progest…

Endometriosis is a common and chronic disease characterized by persistent pelvic pain and infertility. Estradiol is essential for growth and inflammation in endometriotic tissue. The complete cascade of steroidogenic proteins/enzymes includ…