Endometriosis in children and adolescents

The paper reviews what is known about pediatric endometriosis, focusing on epidemiology, early-life risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment from childhood through adolescence. It reports that large epidemiologic data are limited, while available studies suggest heavy/deep disease can be relatively common in adolescents undergoing laparoscopy, with symptom onset often occurring before age 20 and diagnosis delayed by nonspecific symptoms; it also notes major mechanistic hypotheses such as embryonic origin and associations like neonatal uterine bleeding. Key diagnostic points include ultrasound as an initial imaging step, MRI as an advantage, and laparoscopy as the “gold standard,” while treatment discussion highlights symptom control and cautions about CA125 interpretation, plus the limited effectiveness of medications for endometriomas and the tradeoff between surgical removal and possible ovarian reserve loss. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — specifically, endometriosis in children and adolescents (including early-onset disease, diagnosis, and management).

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