Ayse Ayhan
Microbiota Insights in Endometriosis
Alterations in the body’s microbial communities may play a role in the development and progression of endometriosis, according to a review published in the journal Microbiome. In the study, Dr. Pierre-Yves Parpex and colleagues summarized current evidence on how changes in gut and reproductive tract microbiota may interact with immune, inflammatory, and hormonal pathways involved in the disease. Endometriosis has traditionally been viewed as a condition driven primarily by hormonal and inflammatory mechanisms. However, increasing attention has been directed toward…
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Adolescent Endometriosis Care Before Surgery
Adolescents with endometriosis frequently experience significant menstrual pain and functional impairment before diagnosis, according to a new multicenter study published in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. The study, led by Dr. Geri Hewitt and colleagues, analyzed clinical characteristics and preoperative management patterns among young patients with pathology-confirmed endometriosis. To better understand how adolescents with endometriosis present and how they are treated before surgical diagnosis, the researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 305 patients under the age of 22…
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Adolescent endometriosis: clinical challenges and care pathways
Severe menstrual pain and pelvic symptoms often begin during adolescence, yet endometriosis in young patients remains underrecognized, contributing to substantial delays in diagnosis and management. Increasing awareness of early-onset disease is critical, as symptoms during teenage years may represent the first manifestation of a chronic condition that can affect physical, emotional, and reproductive health across the life course. In a review published in Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Smith et al. from the Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology…
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Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase to High-Density Lipoprotein Ratio and Endometriosis Risk
Growing evidence indicates that endometriosis may be shaped not only by local pelvic mechanisms but also by broader systemic metabolic and inflammatory processes. Identifying readily available blood-based markers associated with the condition could help advance understanding of these systemic dimensions. In a study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr. Ziyang Zheng and colleagues from the Department of stomatology, the third People’s Hospital of Yibin, China, analyzed data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine whether…
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Advanced Transvaginal Ultrasound for Endometriosis Mapping
Delayed diagnosis and incomplete disease mapping remain major challenges in the management of endometriosis, often contributing to prolonged symptoms and complex surgical outcomes. Improving preoperative identification of lesion location and disease extent is therefore critical for individualized treatment planning. In a study published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Dr. Álvaro Ramos-Reyes and colleagues evaluated Advanced transvaginal ultrasound (ATVUS) for endometriosis mapping, an advanced ultrasound technique performed using the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis (IDEA) consensus, an internationally standardized…
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Stemness as the Engine of Endometriosis Progression and Therapeutic Targeting
A new scoping review published in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction by Maria João Carvalho and colleagues from the University of Coimbra and Coimbra Academic and Clinical Centre, Portugal, explores an emerging concept in endometriosis research — the role of endometrial stem cells in disease development and treatment. Current endometriosis treatments mainly rely on hormonal therapy or surgery, but these approaches often fail to provide long-term relief, and the disease frequently recurs. The authors reviewed research published over the past two…
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Thoracic Endometriosis Surgery: Effective Intervention or Incomplete Solution?
Thoracic endometriosis is a rare and often overlooked form of endometriosis in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows in or around the lungs and chest cavity. It can cause serious and recurring symptoms, such as lung collapse (pneumothorax), chest pain, coughing up blood, or shortness of breath, often linked to the menstrual cycle. Because of its rarity and complexity, many patients experience long delays in diagnosis and may undergo repeated treatments before receiving appropriate care. In a large…
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The Endometriosis–Brain Connection
A study published in Communications Biology (Nature Portfolio), the teaam led by Dr. Scott Holmes at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, explored whether long-standing endometriosis-associated pain is linked to differences in brain structure, and whether these patterns vary with age. The researchers studied adolescents and adults with surgically confirmed endometriosis and compared them with individuals who had no endometriosis and no pelvic pain. Using advanced brain MRI, they examined brain regions involved in pain processing, movement, and sensory integration, and analyzed how these regions…
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Nutrition and Pain Management in Endometriosis
Many women with endometriosis turn to dietary changes to help manage pain and improve daily functioning, often in the absence of clear clinical guidance. In a narrative review published in Advances in Physiology Education, Dr. Redman and colleagues examine the current evidence linking diet, inflammation, and symptom burden in endometriosis. The authors summarize how endometriosis-related pain is driven by complex interactions among estrogen signaling, immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, and gut-related inflammation. Against this background, dietary patterns with anti-inflammatory properties—most notably…
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Autophagy dysregulation reshapes our understanding of endometriosis biology
Autophagy is a normal cellular process that helps cells survive stress by breaking down and recycling damaged components. In recent years, this process has attracted growing attention in endometriosis research, as endometriotic lesions are exposed to challenging conditions such as inflammation, oxidative stress, low oxygen levels, and hormonal imbalance. In this review, the authors examine current evidence on how autophagy behaves in endometriosis and whether it contributes to disease development or persistence. Studies from human tissue, animal models, and cell-based…
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Why NK Cells Fail in Endometriosis?
Endometriosis persists in the body despite the presence of immune cells that are normally responsible for eliminating abnormal tissue. One such immune cell type is the natural killer (NK) cell, which plays a key role in identifying and destroying cells that appear in the wrong place. This review article, written by a team led by Dr.Esmaeil and published in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, examines why NK cells fail to perform this protective role in people with endometriosis. Rather…
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How Neuroinflammation Sensitizes Pain Pathways in Endometriosis
A research team led by Dr. Golinska published a study in Frontiers in Immunology exploring why endometriosis can cause such severe and persistent pain, even when lesions appear small or limited on imaging. Their work focused on a biological process known as neuroinflammation—the interaction between inflammatory molecules and nerve fibers within and around endometriosis lesions. Using a validated mouse model of endometriosis, the researchers found that lesions release high levels of inflammatory signals that can “switch on” nearby nerve endings. Over…
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Macrophages Become Myofibroblasts in Endometriosis Fibrosis
Fibrosis is a major but often underrecognized feature of endometriosis. It contributes to pain, adhesions, impaired endometrial receptivity, and progressive lesion stiffness. Although fibrosis is well documented in both ectopic lesions and the eutopic endometrium, the exact cellular mechanisms driving this process have remained unclear. In this study published in Molecular Human Reproduction, researchers led by Dr. Huan investigated whether a specific cellular transformation—known as macrophage–myofibroblast transition (MMT)—contributes to fibrosis in endometriosis. MMT occurs when macrophages begin expressing myofibroblast markers such…
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Whole-Brain Dynamics Across Menstrual Hormonal Fluctuations
A new study published in Nature Neuroscience reveals that the human brain changes structurally across the menstrual cycle far more dynamically than previously understood. Using an exceptionally detailed approach—MRI scans every two days across an entire month—researchers mapped how fluctuating hormone levels reshape brain structure over time. The study followed three women representing different hormonal environments: one with a natural menstrual cycle, one with endometriosis, and one using oral contraceptives. By combining ultra-dense imaging with blood hormone measurements, the team…
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Genetic Overlap Between Endometriosis and Autoimmune Disorders
Women with endometriosis may face a higher risk of developing several immune-related conditions, according to a large study led by Rahmioglu and Zondervan, published in Human Reproduction. Using data from more than 270,000 women in the UK Biobank, the researchers examined whether endometriosis is linked to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and whether these connections might reflect underlying shared biological mechanisms. The team found that women with endometriosis were more likely to have conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis,…
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Cell-Aging-Related Pathways Linked to Endometriosis Pathogenesis
The biology of endometriosis continues to challenge conventional understanding. While inflammation, hormonal imbalance, and immune dysfunction have long been recognized, this new study explores an entirely different dimension—cellular aging. Researchers from Shanghai Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, used a multiomic approach that merged genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic data to uncover how aging-related molecular processes might contribute to the disease. Published in Scientific Reports, the analysis drew on extensive public datasets from women with and without endometriosis to identify overlapping molecular patterns…
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AI-Assisted Vision: Recognizing Endometriosis in Real Time
Artificial intelligence (AI) may soon assist surgeons in recognizing endometriosis during minimally invasive surgery. In a proof-of-concept study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, Netter and collegues evaluated a deep-learning algorithm designed to visually detect endometriosis lesions on laparoscopic images and videos. The team trained the AI model using surgical footage collected from multiple medical centers, encompassing various presentations of peritoneal, ovarian, and deep infiltrating endometriosis. When tested, the model was able to identify lesions with accuracy comparable…
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From Damage to Hope: IVF and Embryo Science in Endometriosis
Endometriosis remains one of the most challenging causes of infertility, affecting women both biologically and emotionally. In a comprehensive review published in Biology, Dr. Monika Mrugacz and colleagues examine how this disease disrupts fertility at every level: from the health of the oocyte to the complex signaling within the uterus. The authors describe endometriosis as a condition that disturbs the body’s natural reproductive balance through inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune dysfunction. These processes damage the eggs, impair embryo development, and…
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Menstrual Blood–Derived Stem Cells and Diagnostic Advances
Menstrual blood is usually discarded as waste, but recent discoveries show it may hold extraordinary value for women’s health and medicine more broadly. In a review published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology in 2025, Drs Feng and He from Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China, highlight the growing body of research demonstrating that menstrual blood contains a rich source of biological information and unique stem cells that could change how we diagnose and treat many conditions. For women with endometriosis, the potential…
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Laparoscopy Benefits Women With Endometriosis Across All Stages
Endometriosis greatly affects daily life and emotional well-being. Many women experience severe pelvic pain, fatigue, and reduced quality of life. Laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive operation that removes endometriosis lesions, is often offered when medications no longer help. In this study, published in the International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine, Dr.Sadeki from Zabol University of Medical Sciences and Iran University of Medical Sciences followed 50 women with endometriosis who underwent laparoscopic surgery. Half of the women had severe (stage IV) disease,…
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