By Özge ÖzkayaDoes The Severity of Endometriosis Pain Affect the Chance of Having a Baby With IVF?
By Özge Özkaya
Severe pain symptoms in endometriosis have no relation with the outcomes of assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction. This finding suggests that the decision-making process for…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Selma OransayOvarian adhesion prevention with polytetrafluoroethylene during endometrioma surgery.
By Selma Oransay
The World Health Organization defined infertility as the inability to conceive after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse or after six months of fertility-focused intercourse. Depending on the chronic inflammatory character and causing adhesion formations within the peritoneum, endometriosis is…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Eylül GÜNA synopsis of deep infiltrating endometriosis of the digestive system
By Eylül GÜN
The gastrointestinal tract is one of the most common locations of extrapelvic endometriosis. Its infiltrative counterpart exhibits more aggressive behavior and often needs to be distinguished from malignancies clinically. Yin et al. from Harbin, China reviewed the latest findings regarding…
Key Points Lay Summary
A suggestion for a novel in vitro diagnostic test for endometriosis
By Eylül GÜN
As the research continues to find a gold standard non-invasive diagnostic method for endometriosis, there still is no definitive answer. One of the most commonly studied markers is Cancer Antigen 125 (CA125) – a biomarker that is secreted from the…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Hale Goksever CelikModerate-to-severe Endometriosis and "The Cumulative live birth rate" in IVF Cycles
By Hale Goksever Celik
Infertility is one of the major symptoms in women with endometriosis. The incidence of endometriosis is approximately 10% in reproductive-aged women and up to 40-50% in infertile women. There are multifactorial mechanisms resulting in endometriosis-associated infertility such as anatomic distortion, impaired…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis and Genetic Polymorphisms in Proinflammatory Cytokines
By Hale Goksever Celik
Several pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed for the chronic inflammatory nature of endometriosis, such as retrograde menstruation, coelomic metaplasia, hormonal change, oxidative stress and inflammation, immune dysfunction, and apoptosis suppression. One of the most widely accepted theories in recent years…
Key Points Lay Summary
Pelvic pain in transgender individuals on testosterone therapy
By Eylül GÜN
Pelvic pain is a common issue among individuals assigned female at birth who are transgender or gender diverse (referred to as trans individuals) and are undergoing testosterone therapy as part of their gender-affirming hormone treatment. However, this topic remains poorly…
Key Points Lay Summary
Interleukin-35 expression in B lymphocytes: A new potential biomarker?
By Eylül GÜN
Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and B-cells (Bregs) play a crucial role in establishing tolerance to self-antigens and suppressing immune activity. Therefore, in endometriosis, they are requisite for the endometriotic cells to survive outside the uterus. They suppress immune activity by producing…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Bahar YukselPregnancy and Endometriosis: The Hidden Risk of Gestational Diabetes
By Bahar Yuksel
Getting pregnant with endometriosis may be challenging. Besides, that pregnancy is a high-risk pregnancy. According to the recent meta-analysis led by Dr.Vigano, the risk of gestational diabetes increases in endometriosis patients. The study performed database searches on PubMed, Medline, Embase, and…
Key Points Lay Summary
Exploring the Potential Impact of Prenatal Testosterone on Endometriosis
By Bahar Yuksel
The exact causes of endometriosis still remain uncertain but emerging evidence suggests that prenatal factors may contribute to its development. In the review study by Bernard J Cresp et al, the authors discuss the hormonal environment during prenatal development and…
Key Points Lay Summary
Which surgery for deep endometriosis? Laparoscopic shaving or rectal resection?
By Selma Oransay
This keynote lecture entitled "Deep endometriosis: The place of laparoscopic shaving" was presented by Dr. Jacques Donnez, the director of the infertility research unit at the Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, at the Annual International Medical Conference of the Endometriosis Foundation…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Nasuhi Engin AydinSerum Galectin-9 : A promising marker for endometriosis diagnosis
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Dr. Jarollahi and colleagues from Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran have published their research on serum levels of Galectin-9 as a noninvasive marker for endometriosis in the "Journal of Reproduction & Infertility". Endometriosis imposes a great challenge in the…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis awarness for the Gastroenterologists.
By Selma Oransay
Women with endometriosis can develop chronic abdominal pain and/or abnormal bowel habits more than eight times compared to women without endometriosis. For this reason, an undiagnosed patient with endometriosis may be referred to a gastroenterologist and remain in a situation…
Key Points Lay Summary
Gastrointestinal symptoms in colorectal deep endometriosis
By Eylül GÜN
The colon, particularly the recto-sigmoid is the most commonly involved area in deep endometriosis. These patients suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms almost as much as pelvic pain symptoms the most common being reported as frequent and painful defecation. Gastrointestinal symptoms may…
Key Points Lay Summary
How accurate is ultrasonography in evaluating deep infiltrating endometriosis?
By Eylül GÜN
Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) appears to be the most severe form of endometriosis comprising 15-30% of all endometriosis patients. The difference in the presentation of the lesions ranges from simple adhesions to infiltrative nodules. Even though there is no consensus…
Key Points Lay Summary
What causes pelvic pain? Androgens or estrogens?
By Selma Oransay
A comparison between women and men reveals that women suffer more pelvic pain. This reality raises the possibility of the pain-relieving effect of testosterone or androgens. It would be a wise solution to investigate how androgens affect pain at different…
Key Points Lay Summary
Devilish triad: Endometriosis-irritable bowel syndrome and eating disorders
By Bahar Yuksel
Most women with endometriosis report digestive symptoms. But it is not well-defined whether those are related to endometriosis itself or a secondary syndrome may be the cause. Irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorders, and anxiety are very commonly diagnosed diseases among women…
Key Points Lay Summary
Would it be possible to diagnose endometriosis from a vaginal swab?
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Ectopic endometrial tissues with new vessel formations in an inflammatory background have a component of mast cell-derived exosomal tRF-Leu-AAG-001 promoting inflammation and angiogenesis. This information is according to the paper published in a recent issue of the journal “BMC Women’s Health”,…
Key Points Lay Summary
Postoperative outcomes of deep intestinal endometriosis surgery.
By Selma Oransay
Invasion of endometriotic lesions to the bowels' mucosal and/or muscular levels is called intestinal deep endometriosis. These lesions are most frequently found in the rectosigmoid colon, followed by the rectum, ileum, appendix, and caecum. The optimal surgical approach to intestinal deep…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis in transmasculine people
By Eylül GÜN
“Transmasculine” refers to people who were assigned female at birth but later identify themselves with masculinity. If they choose to transition to the male gender, they are then prescribed long-term testosterone and some may want to undergo a hysterectomy as…
Key Points Lay Summary
Thoracic endometriosis: the most frequent endometriosis involvement outside abdominopelvic cavity
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Six to ten percent of reproductive-age women are affected by endometriosis, and about 12% are estimated to be outside the abdominopelvic cavity - the most frequent location being the thorax. Endometriosis within the pulmonary parenchyma or on the diaphragm and…
Key Points Lay Summary
Which surgical technique is best for rectal endometriosis?
By Eylül GÜN
One of the common sites for deep endometriosis is the intestines, with a rate of 3-37%. Intestinal endometriosis constitutes a serious cause of gastrointestinal symptoms, pain, and the alteration of the quality of life, with the rectum and sigmoid colon being…
Key Points Lay Summary
Does Surgery Improve the Digestive Symptoms of Endometriosis?
By Özge Özkaya
Women with deep infiltrating endometriosis involving the bowels have the most significant improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms following surgery. This is according to the findings of a comparative retrospective study in almost 1,500 women. “Women with severe bowel symptoms and deep…
Key Points Lay Summary
Non-pharmacological self-care: dietary modifications in women with endometriosis.
By Selma Oransay
The academic interest on the role of diet in endometriosis has grown due to its possible relation with inflammation, estrogenic activity, and menstrual cycles. Multiple dietary strategies and prescriptions are being used to deal with the pelvic pain and gastrointestinal…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis from the "EVOLUTIONARY" point of view
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Natalie Dinsdale and associates from the Canadian Simon Fraser University Department of Biological Sciences published a critical review titled “ The evolutionary biology of endometriosis” in a recent issue of the journal “Evolution, medicine and public health”. This review focuses…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis in intestine! Segmental resection or linear nodulectomy?
By Bahar Yuksel
Intestinal involvement of endometriosis is common, and the incidence was defined between 45-56%. Previous studies investigating the role of surgery in the management of intestinal endometriosis reported improvement of life quality in up to 95% of cases following surgery. However,…
Key Points Lay Summary
Postoperative long-term estro-progestin therapy for endometrioma
By Selma Oransay
After the removal of ovarian endometriomas, the major concern is the high recurrence rate of symptoms and endometriotic cysts. The estimated recurrence rate of endometriomas is up to 50% at 5 years after surgery. To prevent the recurrence, postoperatively long-term…
Key Points Lay Summary
Testosterone levels effect embryo implantation rates in patients with endometriosis
By Bahar Yuksel
Endometriosis is associated with infertility either causing poor oocyte and embryo qualities or poor endometrial receptivity. The effect of androgen levels on IVF outcomes has been described earlier, but the present study conducted by Ling Huang et assocates is the…
Key Points Lay Summary
Fertilization rate and pregnancy outcome in IVF cycles of endometriosis.
By Selma Oransay
Endometriosis affects the pelvic cavity, uterus, ovaries and causes impaired fertility as a result. The chronic inflammatory nature of this disease negatively impacts the oocyte quality, maturation, and fertilization. Obviously, fewer oocytes can be harvested in the IVF cycles of…
Key Points Lay Summary
Live Birth Rate in Women Who Underwent Fresh Embryo Transfer Using Freshly Retrieved Donor Oocytes
By Hale Goksever Celik
One of the important clinical findings in women with endometriosis is reproductive problems. Infertility can be encountered in up to 50% of women with endometriosis and up to 50% of women with infertility can be diagnosed with endometriosis. Several pathophysiologic…
Key Points Lay Summary
Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of imaging modalities for the deep infiltrating endometriosis
By Selma Oransay
The treatment of deeply infiltrated endometriosis (DIE) is usually personalized and the potential success for the available therapeutical options is dependent on early and accurate diagnosis. Laparoscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of DIE. Other non-invasive diagnostic methods…
Key Points Lay Summary
Time for reassessment : Laparoscopic surgery and bowel endometriosis
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Ferrero and associates from medical centers of Verona and Genoa, Italy, made a comprehensive review covering all aspects of the surgical approach to bowel endometriosis, published their results in "Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology". Bowel endometriosis is the…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Murat OsmanColorectal Deep Endometriosis Resection and Potential Complications
By Murat Osman
A severe clinical form of endometriosis, deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is characterized by more aggressive endometriotic lesions commonly involving deeper pelvic or gastrointestinal organs. It causes significant quality of life impairment and morbidity and is increasingly associated with infertility. When…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Yu YuEndometriotic mesenchymal stem cells may promote endometriosis
By Yu Yu
The cause of endometriosis is still debatable. Many researchers have accepted that retrograde menstruation, where the endometrial fragments released during menstruation attach and colonize the ectopic locations, is the most plausible reason. However, the numbers just do not add up.…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Timur SeckinVoiding Dysfunction after Colorectal Surgery for Endometriosis
By Timur Seckin
Postoperative voiding dysfunction is a less frequent complication of rectal shaving than that of discoid excision or segmental resection in patients undergoing colorectal surgery for endometriosis, regardless of its definition. This is according to a meta-analysis conducted by researchers from…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Irem OnurEndometriosis Impacts Transgender Adolescents
By Irem Onur
Shim J.Y. et al, from Boston, Massachusetts retrospectively searched the electronic medical records of transmasculine patients younger than 26 years old who were diagnosed with dysmenorrhea and treated at Boston Children’s Hospital, between January 1, 2000, and March 1, 2020.…
Key Points Lay Summary
Imaging of gastrointestinal endometriosis
By Murat Osman
Endometriosis is a disease characterized by the ectopic implantation of endometrial tissue to surrounding pelvic and extra-pelvic structures. One frequent site of involvement is the gastrointestinal(GI) tract, which occurs especially among women with deep infiltrating endometriosis. Most cases of GI-involving…
Key Points Lay Summary
Fertility preservation protocols in women with endometriosis
By Hale Goksever Celik
Infertility is one of the major symptoms in women with endometriosis. Childbearing at a delayed age is preferred by the majority of women recently who consult for the demand for fertility preservation procedures. There are several techniques for fertility preservation…
Key Points Lay Summary
Cycle-related gastrointestinal complaints in reproductive age young women
By Timur Seckin
An analysis of 1-year data on 266 patients who presented to the Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at Jena University Hospital to undergo surgery for endometriosis and its symptoms was performed by Nicolaous K. et al., a…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis May Change Women’s Personality, Study Suggests
By Özge Özkaya
The personality of women may be altered as a result of endometriosis, according to a study published in the Journal of "Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology". This finding suggests that a better understanding of the disease is needed in order to…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis and ovarian reserve
By Hale Goksever Celik
Endometriosis is most frequently encountered in reproductive-aged women. Its prevalence is 10-15% in the general population of this age. However, endometriosis is diagnosed more frequently in infertile women with a prevalence of 25-40%. Although the exact mechanism explaining the association between…
Key Points Lay Summary
Hemorrhagic Ascites, Belly-Blood: The cause may be endometriosis!
By Timur Seckin
A paper on the presentation of hemorrhagic ascites in endometriosis patients, written by Bernard et al. from the United States and China, was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. From 1978 to 2016, the authors found only 37 articles, which describe 42…
Key Points Lay Summary
CD4, CD8 T lymphocytes gain importance in endometriosis
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Immune dysregulation is important in the development of endometriosis where the role of various lymphocyte subpopulations has been investigated up till now. Caihua Li and associates from Anhui Medical University, China, made a unique observation regarding CD4 and CD8 T…
Key Points Lay Summary
Endometriosis and Insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus
By Nasuhi Engin Aydin
Simmen and associates from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Alabama, published a review article about the co-existence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and endometriosis, in the recent issue of the "Journal of Endocrinology". Insulin-dependent diabetes or T1DM…
Key Points Lay Summary
How to Classify Endometriosis for a better and effective evaluation
By Selma Oransay
Endometriosis affects 10% of women in their reproductive period and causes infertility around 40% of women who have the disease. Peritoneal fluid may be one of the factors to facilitate the spread of endometriosis to ovaries, peritoneum and other deep…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Dr. Youngran ParkSeven Hormonal Biomarkers for Diagnosing Endometriosis
By Dr. Youngran Park
Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition characterized by implantation and invasive growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Although it is benign, endometriosis has cancer-like features, a mutation profile similar to that of ovarian cancer, and increased ovarian cancer risk.…
Key Points Lay Summary
The postoperative functional outcomes of deep infiltrating endometriosis
By Hale Goksever Celik
Rectosigmoid endometriosis is defined as the infiltration of the bowel wall with the endometrial-like glands and stroma, reaching at least the muscular layer. The most commonly involved sites are the rectum and sigmoid colon. For the management of deep infiltrating…
Key Points Lay Summary
Antimullerian Hormone, endometrioma and ovarian reserve
By Selma Oransay
Younis et al. from Baruch-Padeh Medical Center, Poriya, Israel, designed a review study on ovarian reserve alterations before and after endometrioma surgery that recently documented in "Human Reproduction Update". The authors examined the electronic databases of articles published between January…
Key Points Lay Summary
Preoperative factors to predict unresponsiveness in women undergoing endometriosis surgery
By Hale Goksever Celik
Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal cells outside the uterine cavity. Despite extensive research, the optimal management of endometriosis still remains unclear. Several treatment options include analgesic medication, hormonal treatments, and surgical intervention. There is…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Demet Candaş GreenBowel endometriosis: What you need to know
By Demet Candaş Green
When the endometrial tissue infiltrates the intestinal walls and reaches inside the intestines, this condition is called "bowel endometriosis". It is estimated that between 3.8% and 37% of women with endometriosis are affected by bowel endometriosis. The endometriosis lesions infiltrating…
Key Points Lay Summary
Vaginal Sexual Intercourse during Menstruation
By Irem Onur
Mazokopakis and Samonis from Greece examined and discussed the vaginal sexual intercourse during menstruation from a biblical as well as a modern medical point of view in their paper published in MAEDICA – a Journal of Clinical Medicine in September 2018.…
Key Points Lay Summary
Development of Less Invasive Diagnostic Tests for Endometriosis Through Proteomics
By Murat Osman
Proteomics is a field which utilizes various methods to carry out large-scale studies of proteins. Due to the inherent nature of the field, proteomics focuses on the identification, localization, and functional analysis of the protein make-up of a given type…
Key Points Lay Summary
Extragenital endometriosis and ultrasound
By Irem Onur
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a non-invasive imaging method with no exposure to radiation. There are a few reports on the use of CEUS in the assessment of endometriosis in the literature. Dong et al. reported 3 histopathologically proven cases of…
Key Points Lay Summary
An overlooked symptom of endometriosis: Fatigue
By Timur Seckin
A majority of endometriosis patients experience fatigue. This is according to a multicenter study conducted by a group of researchers from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Fatigue, and feeling spoonie, may be a symptom of endometriosis affecting the daily activities and…
Key Points Lay Summary
Factors Associated with Endometriosis Risk
By Özge Özkaya
Socio-economic factors, lifestyle habits, and other physical and mental illnesses may be linked to endometriosis according to a new observational study published in the European Journal Of Obstetrics Gynecology And Reproductive Biology. Endometriosis is a debilitating condition affecting as many…
Key Points Lay Summary
Maternal and fetal outcomes in women with endometriosis : A review and meta-analysis
By Selma Oransay
Lalani et al from Dept. of Obstet. and Gynecol. , University of Ottowa, Canada, recently published this systemic review and meta-analysis of observational studies in the Journal of Human Reproduction, aimed to present the difference in the maternal and fetal…
Key Points Lay Summary
PROPOFOL: a new combat for endometriosis?
By Selma Oransay
Feng et al, from the Department of Gynecology Weifang Medical University Hospital, Shandong, China, recently published their prospective experimental research in the journal Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. Propofol, a rapid and short-term anesthetic substance, recently has been shown to prevent cancer through inhibiting…
Key Points Lay Summary
Cosmetics and some household products could be responsible for worsening endometriosis.
By Selma Oransay
A controlled clinical study recently published in the Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, composed by Nazir et al. from the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. The study compared the blood diethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) levels of fifty infertile women laparoscopically diagnosed…
Key Points Lay Summary
By Kasthuri NairCatching Endometriosis Early
By Kasthuri Nair
Li et al., a group primarily from Sun Yat-sen University in the People’s Republic of China, recently published an article titled “Endometrium metabolomic profiling reveals potential biomarkers for diagnosis of endometriosis at minimal-mild stages” in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. The…
Key Points Lay Summary
Difficulties Associated with Diagnosing Ascites and Encapsulating Peritonitis in Endometriosis
By Kasthuri Nair
De Magalhães et al. recently published a paper titled “Ascites and Encapsulating Peritonitis in Endometriosis: a Systematic Review with a Case Report” in Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. The team from the Universidade Federal do Ceará and the Universidade…
Key Points Lay Summary
Therapeutic strategies involving uterine stem cells in reproductive medicine
By Murat Osman
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that often serve to regenerate tissue in states of injury or apoptosis. The endometrium has progenitor cells that replace tissue lost after each menstrual cycle. It has been postulated that excessive stem cell recruitment to…
Key Points Lay Summary
Thoracic Endometriosis Syndrome : A case report describing endometriosis involvement of the lung
By Murat Osman
Leonardo-Pinto and authors from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil, have recently published a case report titled, "Hemoptysis and Endometriosis: An Unusual Association - Case Report and Review of the Literature" in the Journal, Revista Brasileira De Ginecologia E Obstetricia describing a…
Key Points Lay Summary
Intestinal Endometriosis and Colorectal Cancer versus T4 Colorectal Cancer
By Kasthuri Nair
Ishii et al. recently published a paper titled “Intestinal endometriosis combined with colorectal cancer: a case series” in the Journal of Medical Case Reports. This case report follows 7 Japanese women who have intestinal endometriosis and colorectal cancer. These women…
Key Points Lay Summary
MRI Best at Detecting Intestinal Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis
By Özge Özkaya
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) seems to be a better method in identifying deep infiltrating endometriosis in the intestine compared to two-dimensional ultrasonography (2DUS), found a study by researchers in Italy and Spain. However, this does not seem to be the…
Key Points Lay Summary
Gestational diabetes risk in women with endometriosis
By Demet Candaş Green
Gestational diabetes (GD) is a common complication in pregnancy with several negative consequences for both mother and baby. The risk of developing GD increases with maternal age and body mass index (BMI). Women with endometriosis conceive later than fertile women,…
Key Points Lay Summary
EFA Medical Conference 2017: "Cells Are the New Cure" Presentation by Dr. Max Gomez
By Kasthuri Nair
Dr. Max Gomez is an award-winning broadcast journalist, CBS News Medical Correspondent, and a presenter at the EFA 2017 Medical Conference. Dr. Gomez’s presentation was titled “Cells Are the New Cure: The Cutting-Edge Medical Breakthroughs That Are Transforming Our Health.”…
Key Points Lay Summary
Characteristics and location of extrapelvic endometriosis
By Demet Candaş Green
The authors of this study reviewed the medical records of 1000 women with endometriosis from two geographical areas, New Haven, US and Crete, Greece over a 20-year period with a goal of identifying the presence and location of extrapelvic endometriosis…
Key Points Lay Summary
Best Time for IVF Between 7 and 25 Months Post Surgery Study Suggests
By Özge Özkaya
The more severe endometriosis is, the lower the success rate of IVF, according to a new study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. However, the presence of endometriosis as such does not seem to affect the outcome of…
Key Points Lay Summary