The Basic Science of Endometriosis

Paul J. Yong
In: Female Sexual Pain Disorders · 2020 · pp. 289–300 · doi:10.1002/9781119482598.ch33 · W3080597682
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This paper reviews endometriosis, a common condition in reproductive-age women linked to retrograde menstruation, characterized by pelvic pain and treatable with hormonal suppression therapies like estrogen-progestin contraception.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a common reproductive condition in women, with multiple implications for sexual health. It is present in approximately one in ten women of reproductive age. The most favored hypothesis for the etiology of endometriosis involves retrograde menstruation, whereby uterine endometrium is refluxed retrogradely through the fallopian tubes into the pelvic cavity during menstruation. Pelvic pain symptoms in endometriosis include painful periods (dysmenorrhea), painful bowel movements (dyschezia), chronic pelvic pain, and painful sexual activity (dyspareunia). With a single digit pelvic examination, endometriosis is suggested by tenderness of the posterior fornix of the vagina (corresponding to the pouch of Douglas) and the bordering uterosacral ligaments, which is a common location for endometriosis lesions. Hormonal suppression therapies directlysuppress endometriosis, and also suppress ovulation and thereby systemic estrogen levels and menstruation. The most basic suppressive therapy is combined estrogen–progestin contraception, given orally, vaginally, or transdermally.

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindysmenorrheadyspareunia

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (76)

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