Adenomyosis and Endometriosis: Two Faces of the Same Disease?

Razvan Socolov, Ioana Păvăleanu, Demetra Socolov, Loredana Toma, Andreea Pruteanu
In: Endometriosis - Medical Aspects and Modern Approaches [Working Title] · 2026 · doi:10.5772/intechopen.1014688 · W7156011720
book-chapter OA: hybrid CC0
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review compares the etiopathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of adenomyosis and endometriosis, exploring their shared and divergent mechanisms as interrelated conditions within a single disease spectrum.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Adenomyosis and endometriosis are chronic, estrogen-dependent gynecological disorders traditionally regarded as distinct entities but increasingly recognized as interrelated conditions within a shared disease spectrum. Both are characterized by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue and are associated with chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, altered hormonal signaling, and significant reproductive morbidity. This chapter explores the comparative etiopathogenesis of adenomyosis and endometriosis, highlighting common and divergent mechanisms, including junctional zone disruption, tissue injury and repair processes, stem and progenitor cell involvement, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and genetic and epigenetic modulation. Emphasis is placed on mixed phenotypes, in which uterine and extrauterine disease coexist, creating diagnostic, staging, and therapeutic challenges. The chapter also reviews current concepts in clinical presentation, imaging-based diagnosis, and limitations of existing classification systems, underscoring the need for integrated, phenotype-oriented frameworks. Common and specific complications, including infertility, adverse obstetric outcomes, and surgical complexity, are critically discussed. Finally, contemporary management strategies are examined, contrasting conservative medical and surgical approaches with radical interventions, in line with recent international guidelines. Understanding adenomyosis and endometriosis as interconnected manifestations of a unified pathological continuum may improve diagnostic accuracy, individualized treatment planning, and reproductive outcomes.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosisadenomyosisinfertility

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 (100)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-07-21T06:02:49.335720+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK