Ultrasound Follow-Up in young women with severe dysmenorrhea predicts early onset of endometriosis

Elvira Nocita, Francesco Giuseppe Martire, Chiara Paladino, Giulia Monaco, Federica Iacobini, S. Valeriani, Sara Valeriani, Giorgia Soreca, Consuelo Russo, C. Exacoustós, Caterina Exacoustos
Journal of gynecology obstetrics and human reproduction · 2025 · vol. 54(8) , pp. 103003 · doi:10.1016/j.jogoh.2025.103003 · PMID:40763897 · W4412981247
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This study found that ultrasound follow-up in young women with severe dysmenorrhea can predict early endometriosis onset, with continuous hormone therapy improving symptoms and reducing lesion size.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the progression of endometriosis and painful symptoms in young women (≤ 25 years) with severe dysmenorrhea (Visual Analogue Scale score ≥ 7), with or without ultrasound-detected endometriosis, over a follow-up period of 12 to 36 months. The impact of hormone therapy was also assessed. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included 124 young women with severe dysmenorrhea: 67 had ultrasound signs of endometriosis/adenomyosis, 57 did not. All patients with ultrasound-detected endometriosis/adenomyosis received continuous hormone therapy, inducing amenorrhea; those without ultrasound findings underwent either cyclic hormone therapy or no treatment. Clinical and ultrasound assessments were performed at baseline and at follow-up visits at 12, 24 and 36 months, recording all symptoms and disease sites. RESULTS: In patients with ultrasound-detected endometriosis on continuous hormone therapy, all painful symptoms improved, and endometrioma size significantly decreased, with 40 % resolving completely. Utero-sacral ligament lesions also shrank, while rectal endometriosis remained unchanged. Ultrasound direct signs of adenomyosis were no longer visible in 22 % of cases. In patients without initial ultrasound evidence of endometriosis and with a regular menstrual cycle, new ultrasound-detected endometriosis emerged in 20 % of cases at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In young patients with severe dysmenorrhea, clinical and ultrasound follow-up supports early detection of endometriosis and an appropriate treatment may reduce symptoms and prevent disease progression.

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Condition tags

dysmenorrheaendometriosisadenomyosisendometrioma

MeSH descriptors

Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea

Citation neighborhood

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. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (33)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK