Endometriosis at the extremes of reproductive life: A life-course perspective on age-specific phenotypes in adolescents and postmenopausal women

Fatma Ketenci Gencer, Ketenci Gencer F, Alperen Aksan, Ahmet Kale, Kale A, Bilici SR, Sema Rumeysa Bilici, Bulut A, Aybüke Bulut, Aybuke Bulut, Engin Oral, Oral E, Kumbasar S, Serkan Kumbasar, Bacak HB, Havva Betul Bacak, Havva Betül Bacak, Enes Serhat Coşkun, Enes Serhat Coskun, Coskun ES, Suleyman Salman, Salman S
European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology · 2026 · vol. 324 , pp. 115217 · doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2026.115217 · PMID:42250374 · W7163390141
review OA: closed CC0
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This paper examines age-specific endometriosis phenotypes in adolescents and postmenopausal women from a life-course perspective.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To summarize current evidence on endometriosis in adolescents and postmenopausal women and to compare age-specific clinical characteristics, diagnostic approaches, and management strategies. STUDY DESIGN: A narrative review was conducted following SWiM principles. A comprehensive search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was performed from database inception to December 2024. Studies reporting clinical or diagnostic data in adolescents or postmenopausal women with endometriosis were included. A total of 64 studies were analyzed (41 adolescent, 23 postmenopausal). RESULTS: Adolescent endometriosis is typically characterized by pelvic pain, reported in 40-55% of cases, with peritoneal lesions being the most common form. Recurrence rates range from 20 to 30%, and diagnostic laparoscopy remains central to evaluation. In contrast, postmenopausal endometriosis often presents with less specific symptoms, including gastrointestinal complaints, while pelvic pain is less frequently reported (18-25%). Recurrence appears lower (3-8%), although this may be influenced by differences in follow-up. Imaging modalities are more commonly used for diagnosis in postmenopausal women, particularly to exclude malignancy. Pathophysiological mechanisms differ between groups, with estrogen-dependent inflammation predominating in adolescents and local estrogen production contributing to disease persistence in postmenopausal women. CONCLUSION: Endometriosis demonstrates age-related differences in clinical presentation, diagnosis, and underlying mechanisms. Recognition of these variations may support more tailored diagnostic and management approaches across the reproductive lifespan.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

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 (55)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-07-31T06:09:14.520117+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-07-31T06:01:29.331002+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-07-31T06:03:42.926195+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK