A Systematic Review of Adenomyosis: It Is Time to Reassess What We Thought We Knew about the Disease

Loring M, Megan Loring, Tammy Y Chen, Tammy Chen, Keith Isaacson, Isaacson KB, Keith B Isaacson
Journal of minimally invasive gynecology · 2020 · vol. 28(3) , pp. 644–655 · doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2020.10.012 · PMID:33371949 · W3094217763
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This systematic review reassesses current knowledge on adenomyosis, advocating for a reevaluation of established understandings of the disease.

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Abstract

ObjectiveTo summarize and update our current knowledge regarding adenomyosis diagnosis, prevalence, and symptoms.Data sourcesSystematic review of PubMed between January 1972 and April 2020. Search strategy included: "adenomyosis [MeSH Terms] AND (endometriosis[MeSH Term OR prevalence study [MeSH Terms] OR dysmenorrhea[text word] OR prevalence[Text Word] OR young adults [Text Word] OR adolesce* [Text Word] OR symptoms[Text Word] OR imaging diagnosis [Text Word] OR pathology[Text Word].Methods of study selectionArticles published in English that addressed adenomyosis and discussed prevalence, diagnosis, and symptoms were included. The included articles described pathology diagnosis, imaging, biopsy diagnosis, prevalence and age of onset, symptoms, and concomitant endometriosis.Tabulation, integration, and resultsSixteen articles were included in the qualitative analysis. The studies are heterogeneous when diagnosing adenomyosis with differing criteria, protocols, and patient populations. The prevalence estimates range from 20% to 88.8% in women who are symptomatic (average 30%-35%), with most diagnosed between the ages of 32 years and 38 years. The correlation between imaging and pathology continues to evolve. As imaging advances, newer studies report that younger women who are symptomatic are being diagnosed with adenomyosis on the basis of both magnetic resonance imaging and/or transvaginal ultrasound. High rates of concomitant endometriosis create challenges when discerning the etiology of pelvic pain. Symptoms that are historically attributed to endometriosis may actually be caused by adenomyosis.ConclusionAdenomyosis remains a challenge to identify, assess, and research because of the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria, especially in women who wish to retain their uterus. As noninvasive diagnostics such as imaging and myometrial biopsies continue to improve, younger women with variable symptoms will likely create criteria for diagnosis with adenomyosis. The priority should be to create standardized histopathologic and imaging diagnoses to gain a deeper understanding of adenomyosis.

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Condition tags

adenomyosis

MeSH descriptors

Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Female Humans Prevalence Prognosis

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 (43)

Cited by (42)

Source provenance

europepmc
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