Risk of endometriosis progression in infertile women trying to conceive naturally or using IVF

Edgardo Somigliana, Paola Viganò, Dalila Invernici, Gianfranco Fornelli, Camilla Erminia Maria Merli, Paolo Vercellini
Human Reproduction · 2025 · vol. 40(7) , pp. 1249–1256 · doi:10.1093/humrep/deaf090 · PMID:40344687 · W4410267283
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review examines the risks of endometriosis progression in infertile women attempting natural conception versus undergoing IVF, considering hormonal treatments, estrogen levels, and potential pregnancy complications.

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Abstract

The use of hormonal treatments for endometriosis has increased in recent years. Their effectiveness lies in creating a stable hormonal environment, reducing peripheral estrogen levels, and suppressing ovulation and menstruation. Although these agents do not cure endometriosis and symptoms often return after discontinuation, they effectively relieve pain in most cases and help prevent disease progression or recurrence. Women are therefore typically managed with long-term hormonal treatments, with or without surgery. However, this approach is unsuitable for those seeking natural pregnancy or undergoing IVF, as all hormonal treatments hinder conception. For women pursuing natural pregnancy, these treatments should be discontinued for about 1 year, the time needed to diagnose infertility. However, this suspension exposes women to the risk of recurrence or progression and is therefore clinically acceptable only if the woman has a reasonable likelihood of achieving pregnancy naturally. In women with endometriosis who are infertile and therefore require IVF, ovarian stimulation significantly raises estrogen levels-up to 10 times those of a natural cycle-potentially boosting the risk of endometriosis relapse. Evidence is reassuring on this issue even if some limited data suggest that ovarian stimulation may promote deep invasive endometriosis progression. Overall, physicians and patients must balance the chances of natural or ART-assisted pregnancy against the risk of disease recurrence or progression during treatment discontinuation or IVF. This choice is also complicated by the increased risk of severe pregnancy complications in women with endometriosis, possibly depending on the conception method. This review discusses the available evidence that can be helpful in guiding the decision-making process.

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Outcome instruments

rASRM

Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

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 (72)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-04T01:30:01.192114+00:00
openalex
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pmc
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pubmed
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:31:34.272086+00:00
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