Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Association between Endometriosis and Ectopic Pregnancy

Julia Załęcka, Katarzyna Pankiewicz, Tadeusz Issat, Piotr Laudański
International journal of molecular sciences · 2022 · vol. 23(7) , pp. 3490 · doi:10.3390/ijms23073490 · PMID:35408850 · W4221092440
review OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 9 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review explores molecular mechanisms shared by endometriosis and ectopic pregnancy, proposing that endometriosis-induced disruptions in fallopian tube muscle contraction, ciliary motility, and microenvironment contribute to embryo implantation outside the uterus.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a common inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial cells outside the uterine cavity. It is estimated that it affects 10% of women of reproductive age. Its pathogenesis covers a wide range of abnormalities, including adhesion, proliferation, and cell signaling disturbances. It is associated with a significant deterioration in quality of life as a result of chronic pelvic pain and may also lead to infertility. One of the most serious complications of endometriosis is an ectopic pregnancy (EP). Currently, the exact mechanism explaining this phenomenon is unknown; therefore, there are no effective methods of prevention. It is assumed that the pathogenesis of EP is influenced by abnormalities in the contraction of the fallopian tube muscles, the mobility of the cilia, and in the fallopian microenvironment. Endometriosis can disrupt function on all three levels and thus contribute to the implantation of the embryo beyond the physiological site. This review takes into account aspects of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and EP, with particular emphasis on the similarities between them.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosischronic_pelvic_paininfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Pregnancy, Ectopic Pregnancy, Ectopic Pregnancy, Ectopic Pregnancy, Ectopic Pregnancy, Ectopic Pregnancy, Ectopic Embryo Implantation Embryo Implantation Embryo Implantation Embryo Implantation Embryo Implantation Endometrium Endometrium Endometrium

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 (100)

Cited by (9)

Source provenance

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