Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology

Endometriosis and infertility are linked in a complex relationship, and a number of different pathogenetic mechanisms may associate the two. Endometriosis is diagnosed in 6-8% of women undergoing ART. Women with endometriosis appear to have…

Endometriosis is a chronic disease, and a lifelong management plan should be developed by using pharmacological treatment and surgical procedures. The pathogenesis of endometriosis is complicated and has not been definitively established. T…

Developments in high-throughput genotyping technology have driven discovery of genomic regions associated with an increased risk of endometriosis. In all, 16 genomic regions have been associated with risk of endometriosis in one or more pop…

The fine control of birth timing is important to human survival and evolution. A key challenge in studying the mechanisms underlying the regulation of human birth timing is that human parturition is a unique to human event - animal models p…

The pathophysiology of endometriosis is not completely understood, but an aberrant immune response in the peritoneal environment seems to be crucial for the proliferation of ectopic endometrial cells - as those cells escape apoptosis and pe…

Available medical treatments for symptomatic endometriosis act by inhibiting ovulation, reducing serum oestradiol levels, and suppressing uterine blood flows. For this, several drugs can be used with a similar magnitude of effect, in terms …

The aim of the present review is to give a comprehensive overview of minimal invasive treatment options and suggest a minimally invasive approach in women with adenomyosis (AD). A review of relevant literature on medical and surgical treatm…

A noninvasive biomarker-based test could help shorten the diagnostic delay for endometriosis. The most investigated biomarker sources are peripheral blood and endometrium. Discovery of endometriosis biomarkers is often hypothesis-driven, i.…

Increasing evidence suggests that pregnant women with endometriosis have a higher risk of adverse obstetrical complications. The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on this aspect. A PubMed/MEDLINE search …

Despite an estimated prevalence of 11% in women and plausible historical descriptions dating back to the 17th century, the etiology of endometriosis remains poorly understood. Classical theories of the histological origins of endometriosis …

Although pain is one of the main symptoms women with endometriosis present with, there is poor correlation between symptom severity and disease burden and the underlying biological mechanisms by which pain arises are still only poorly under…

The patient-centeredness of care is important for health care quality, especially because it was recently associated with health-related quality of life, which is increasingly being recognized as the ultimate outcome parameter of health car…

In women with endometriosis, the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is increased from 1.4% to about 1.9%. The risk of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian cancer is, respectively, tripled and doubled. Atypical endometriosis, observed in 1-3% of…

Endometriosis-associated pelvic pain is a major health concern in women of childbearing age. Controlled studies have shown that endometriosis can adversely affect women and their partners' general psychological well-being, relationship adju…

Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age. Characteristics robustly associated with a greater risk for endometriosis include early age at menarche, short menstrual cycle length, and lean body size, whereas greater…

Treatment options for patients with different types of endometriosis - superficial, ovarian, or deep - vary depending on the clinical presentation. New findings in the recent years regarding the role of preoperative imaging, efficacy of med…

Historically, the evolutionary origins of menstruation have been based on two theories: the ability to eliminate infectious agents carried to the uterus with spermatozoa and the comparative conservation of energy with menstruation compared …

Transvaginal ultrasonography has become the primary test in the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis and adenomyosis. A review of the literature on the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in pelvic endometriosis and adenomyosis, as well as …

The complex pathogenesis and variable presentation of adenomyosis make it one of the most difficult of the FIGO PALM-COIEN abnormal uterine bleeding group to diagnose and treat. Basic clinical parameters such as prevalence are difficult to …

The diagnosis of a uterine myoma size and location can be very precise when a 3D sonograph and knowledge are available. The majority of fibroids are asymptomatic, and expectant management is recommended. In young patients, fibroids cause in…

This review discusses the current state of our understanding regarding the genetic basis of the most important reproductive disorders in women. For clarity, these disorders have been divided into eugonadal and hypogonadal types. Hypogonadal…

From genomic imbalances associated with developmental abnormalities of the female genital tract to the molecular mechanisms underpinning endometriosis and uterine leiomyomatosis, new technologies have allowed the exploration of the genetic …

High-intensity focused ultrasound therapy has received increasing interest in the management of benign uterine tumors. Either magnetic resonance or ultrasound imaging has been used to target and monitor the ablation process. This article pr…

Fibroid uterus can be managed medically, surgically, or through non-extirpative procedures, depending on the clinical situation. Myomectomy may be beneficial, especially to those desiring to preserve the uterus and/or fertility, with outcom…