OPINION: Endometriosis: a new approach is needed
review
OA: closed
CC0
⤵ 18 in-corpus citations
AI-generated summary
This paper argues for a new immunological approach to treating endometriosis and unexplained infertility, proposing these conditions share similar immunological abnormalities and that immunotherapy could be a more effective treatment than current endocrine or surgical methods.
One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works
Abstract
Endometriosis is generally regarded and treated as an endocrine and/or a surgical disease. Endocrine and surgical approaches to treatment are effective only in treating the symptoms of the disease and not its pathophysiology. Consequently, the success of such therapy is at best short-lived, and probably non-existent in mild disease. This thesis therefore argues for a new therapeutic approach towards endometriosis. In view of increasing evidence in favour of an immunological aetiology for this condition, it is suggested that such an approach may involve immunological rather than endocrine manipulation. It is also proposed that so-called unexplained infertility may in many cases represent a precursor stage of endometriosis, since immunological abnormalities in both of these conditions are so similar. Large-scale, prospective, multicentre clinical trials of immunotherapy in unexplained infertility and endometriosis appear to be indicated at this time if endometriosis is to lose its importance as one of the major contributors to female infertility.
My notes (saved in your browser only)
Condition tags
MeSH descriptors
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.
Cited by (18)
- Effect of human interferon-alpha-2b on experimental endometriosis in rats: comparison between short and long series of treatment 2013
- Expression und Regulation von Enzymen des Östrogenmetabolismus in humanen Endometriumläsionen kultiviert in der Nacktmaus 2007
- Apoptosis pattern in human endometrium in women with pelvic endometriosis 2006
- The presence and extent of endometriosis do not effect clinical pregnancy and implantation rates in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection 2001
- Endometriosis- A Systemic Disease? A Biochemical Investigation. 2001
- Moderate and severe endometriosis is associated with alterations in the cell cycle of granulosa cells in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer 2000
- Outcome of IVF in Patients with Endometriosis in Comparison with Tubal-Factor Infertility 1998
- Immunoblot Detection of Decreased Antibodies to Haptoglobin-Like Protein in the Serum of Infertile Women with or without Endometriosis1 1997
- Pentoxifylline versus placebo in the treatment of infertility associated with minimal or mild endometriosis: a pilot randomized clinical trial 1997
- Transferrin Receptor (CD71) Expression in Peritoneal Macrophages from Fertile and Infertile Women With and Without Endometriosis 1997
- The impact of endometriosis in couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection because of male infertility 1997
- Decreased amounts of antibodies to 22 and 18 kDa antigens in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis 1996
- Simplified ultralong protocol of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist for ovulation induction with intrauterine insemination in patients with endometriosis 1996
- Immunological aspects of endometriosis 1996
- UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY, ENDOMETRIOSIS, AND ADENOMYOSIS 1994
- 9 Endometriosis: Medical therapy 1993
- Pretreatment with gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue prior to in vitro fertilisation for patients with endometriosis 1993
- Changing concepts of medical treatment of endometriosis 1993
Source provenance
- europepmc
- last seen: 2026-06-11T06:19:48.454388+00:00
- openalex
- last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
- pubmed
- last seen: 2026-05-13T22:11:44.647872+00:00
License: CC0
· commercial use OK