Hormones and Inflammation: An Update on Endometriosis

In: ISGE Series · 2019 · pp. 177–192 · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-14358-9_14 · W2956033221
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Endometriosis involves hormonal, immunological, and inflammatory pathways, characterized by increased estrogen activity, progesterone resistance, and contributions from stress hormones and cytokines.

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This chapter updates the biology of endometriosis by integrating evidence on hormonal, immunological, and inflammatory pathways, focusing on how estrogen activity, progesterone resistance, and stress hormones intersect with dysregulated immune signaling and inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, and prostaglandins. It describes key mechanistic findings that increased estrogen drives proliferation of both eutopic and ectopic tissue, while aberrant progesterone signaling contributes to resistance, and it highlights that cell-mediated immune processes are linked to endometriosis-associated pain. A major limitation is that this is a narrative update rather than a single primary study, so it does not provide new experimental population data or quantify effect sizes. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it reviews hormonal and inflammatory dysregulation, including progesterone resistance and stress hormone–immune interactions, in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a complex inflammatory, hormone-dependent disease that affects up to 10% of women in reproductive age, causing pain and infertility. Although the pathogenesis of this disease remains unknown, in the most recent decades, there has been a substantial progress toward unraveling the enigma associated with this disorder. The present chapter focuses on the influence of hormonal, immunological, and inflammatory pathways in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The disease is characterized by an increased estrogen activity, which stimulates both eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissue proliferation; in addition, an aberrant response to progesterone, named progesterone resistance, has been shown. Stress hormones are involved in endometriosis pathogenesis. In the present chapter, the relevance of several key points in the inflammatory dysregulation contributing to endometriosis onset and progression, and related symptoms, will also be discussed. Immunological factors (cytokines, chemokines, and prostaglandins) as well as cell-mediated mechanisms play a major role in endometriosis-associated pain. Aberrant hormonal and inflammatory pathways contribute also to inflammatory comorbidities and adverse pregnancy outcome. Access this chapter Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Purchases are for personal use only Similar content being viewed by others

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Association between endometriosis and preterm birth in women with spontaneous conception or using assisted reproductive technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Reprod Sci. 2018;25:311–9. Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Editor information Editors and Affiliations Rights and permissions Copyright information © 2019 International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology About this chapter Cite this chapter Pavone, D. et al. (2019). Hormones and Inflammation: An Update on Endometriosis. In: Berga, S., Genazzani, A., Naftolin, F., Petraglia, F. (eds) Menstrual Cycle Related Disorders. ISGE Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14358-9_14 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14358-9_14 Published: Publisher Name: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-030-14357-2 Online ISBN: 978-3-030-14358-9 eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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