Human Reproduction Update

BACKGROUND: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is characterized by marked heterogeneity, but with a significant genetic contribution. Identifying exact causative genes has been challenging, with many discoveries not replicated. It is timel…

BACKGROUND: Each month the endometrium becomes inflamed, and the luminal portion is shed during menstruation. The subsequent repair is remarkable, allowing implantation to occur if fertilization takes place. Aberrations in menstrual physiol…

BACKGROUND: Most contraceptive methods present benefits beyond contraception; however, despite a large body of evidence, many healthcare professionals (HCPs), users and potential users are unaware of those benefits. This review evaluates th…

BACKGROUND: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an essential intrafollicular regulator of ovulation. In contrast with the one-gene, one-protein concept for synthesis of peptide signaling molecules, production and metabolism of bioactive PGE2 require…

BACKGROUND: Adhesion development is the most common sequelae of intra-abdominal and pelvic surgery and represents a significant, yet poorly understood, cause of morbidity among post-operative patients. It remains unclear, for example, exact…

BACKGROUND: Classical surgical management of endometriotic ovarian cysts using the laparoscopic stripping technique has been recently questioned because of the surgical-related injury to the ovarian reserve. Accordingly, available guideline…

BACKGROUND: Progesterone is a key hormonal regulator of the female reproductive system. It plays a major role to prepare the uterus for implantation and in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Actions of progesterone on the uteri…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a disease known to be detrimental to fertility. Women with endometriosis, and the presence of endometrioma, may require artificial reproductive techniques (ART) to achieve a pregnancy. The specific impact of end…

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea, or painful menstruation in the absence of pelvic pathology, is a common, and often debilitating, gynecological condition that affects between 45 and 95% of menstruating women. Despite the high prevalence, d…

BACKGROUND: Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a significant public health problem with 1 million affected women in the UK. Although many pathologies are associated with CPP, the pain experienced is often disproportionate to the extent of disease…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a heritable common gynaecological condition influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have proved successful in identifying common genetic variants of mode…

BACKGROUND: 'Omics' high-throughput analyses, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, are widely applied in human endometrial studies. Analysis of endometrial transcriptome patterns in physiological an…

BACKGROUND: Pain remains the cardinal symptom of endometriosis. However, to date, the underlying mechanisms are still only poorly understood. Increasing evidence points towards a close interaction between peripheral nerves, the peritoneal e…

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies concerning endometriosis and pain have been reported. However, there is no consensus on the best method to evaluate pain in endometriosis and many scales have been used. Moreover, there are only a few descriptio…

BACKGROUND: Clinical data suggest that the presence of an ovarian endometrioma may cause per se damage to the surrounding otherwise healthy ovarian tissue. However, the basic research has so far done a limited job in trying to understand th…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is defined as the colonization and growth of endometrial tissue at anatomic sites outside the uterine cavity. Up to 15% of reproductive-aged women in the USA suffer from painful symptoms of endometriosis, such as i…

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND; Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) reduce levels of androgen, especially testosterone (T), by inhibiting ovarian and adrenal androgen synthesis and by increasing levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Althou…

BACKGROUND: The discovery of kisspeptin as key central regulator of GnRH secretion has led to a new level of understanding of the neuroendocrine regulation of human reproduction. The related discovery of the kisspeptin-neurokinin B-dynorphi…

BACKGROUND: It is well established that tumors are dependent on angiogenesis for their growth and survival. Although uterine fibroids are known to be benign tumors with reduced vascularization, recent work demonstrates that the vasculature …

BACKGROUND: The recruitment of immune cells by chemokines and the regulation of endometrial cell apoptosis are critical aspects of endometriosis biology. Here, we review the local (paracrine) and systemic hormone (endocrine) modulation of t…

BACKGROUND Endometriosis associated with pain symptoms in adolescents has been extensively reported, but the exact prevalence is unclear because pain symptoms may be atypical and endometriosis can only be diagnosed by laparoscopy. The aim o…

BACKGROUND Adenomyosis and endometriosis were initially described as 'adenomyoma'. When the retrograde menstruation theory became widely accepted to explain the pathogenesis of endometriosis, since it does not explain adenomyosis, the two c…

BACKGROUND Mechanisms underlying early reproductive loss in the human are beginning to be elucidated. The migratory and invasive capacity of human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) is increasingly recognized to contribute to the intense tiss…

BACKGROUND Endometriosis affects 6-10% of women of reproductive age and is associated with chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia and infertility. Endometriosis is defined by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, m…

BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting between 2 and 17% of women of reproductive age. Common symptoms are chronic pelvic pain, fatigue, congestive dysmenorrhoea, heavy menstrual bleeding and deep dyspareunia. Studies hav…