Ayse Ayhan
Rethinking Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Endometriosis
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most commonly used medications for relieving pain associated with endometriosis. However, whether long-term NSAID use influences the disease process itself has remained unclear. A new study published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology by Fan Yang and colleagues from China suggests that different NSAIDs may exert distinct and potentially paradoxical effects on pathways involved in endometriosis progression. Using network toxicology, Mendelian randomization, functional enrichment analysis, and molecular docking simulations, the investigators analyzed nine commonly…
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AI-Derived Biomarkers in Endometriosis
Diagnosing endometriosis remains a major challenge, often requiring invasive procedures and long delays before confirmation. A study published in Journal of Reproductive Immunology, lead by Huo and Chen from China explores whether gene expression patterns and immune cell changes in the uterine lining could help improve diagnosis by biomarkers. Using existing genomic data from multiple patient groups, the researchers applied advanced computational methods to identify a small set of genes that differ between women with and without endometriosis. Based on these…
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Beyond Pain: The Neuroendocrine–Immune Axis in Endometriosis
Endometriosis is often considered a hormonal and inflammatory disease—but this may be only part of the story. A recent review published in Biomolecules by Chang et al. from Fudan University, Shanghai, highlights that endometriosis is better understood as a condition involving a complex interaction between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Rather than acting independently, these systems appear to communicate closely, shaping how the disease develops, progresses, and produces symptoms. The presence of nerve fibers within endometriotic lesions, together with…
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Endometriosis After Menopause
Endometriosis, traditionally considered a disease of reproductive-age women, expected to regress after menopause. However, a growing body of evidence challenges this assumption, showing that the disease can persist—or even arise de novo—in peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women. In a narrative review published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, the team lead by Dr.Espada Vaquero from Nepean Hospital, Australia, examined the clinical, biological, and management aspects of endometriosis in this underrecognized population. The authors highlight that persistent disease is not solely dependent…
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Uterine Contractility and Endometriosis
Uterine contractility—the rhythmic movement of the uterus—is increasingly recognized as a key physiological process that extends beyond menstruation to influence fertility and reproductive health. A recent review from Dr. Nicoli, from Bari, Italy, highlights how these coordinated contractions, which vary across the menstrual cycle, play essential roles in sperm transport, embryo implantation, and menstrual flow. Importantly, emerging evidence suggests that altered uterine contractility may contribute to the development of endometriosis. Abnormal peristaltic activity may reflect an underlying pathophysiological process that…
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Surgery + ART Maximizes Pregnancy Outcomes in Bowel Endometriosis
A new study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology by Larraín et al. from Santiago, Chile, examined how different treatment strategies affect pregnancy chances in women with bowel endometriosis who wish to conceive. Analyzing data from nearly 6,000 patients, the authors found that no single approach works best for all patients. While some women were able to conceive naturally or with assisted reproduction alone, the highest pregnancy rates were observed when surgery was followed by medically assisted reproduction. Interestingly, first-line…
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Eating Behaviors and Endometriosis Risk
A new study published in Fertility and Sterility examined whether eating-related behaviors during adolescence are associated with the later development of endometriosis. The research was led by Audrey J. Gaskins and colleagues and followed more than 11,000 participants over approximately 25 years. The researchers focused on specific behaviors—binge eating, self-induced vomiting, and laxative use—rather than diagnosed eating disorders. They found that girls who frequently engaged in self-induced vomiting were more likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis later in life. In…
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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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