Is post-cesarean pain perception and analgesic use in endometriosis-affected women different?

Is post-cesarean pain perception and analgesic use in endometriosis-affected women different? By Hale Goksever Celik

It has been known that endometriosis patients have increased pain sensitivity and different reactions to pain compared to women having no endometriosis. Several mechanisms such as nociception, inflammation, and changes in peripheral and central nervous system pain processing have been…

Key Points Lay Summary

Understanding endometriosis pain

Understanding endometriosis pain By Eylül GÜN

Chronic pain, especially in conditions like endometriosis, poses significant challenges for diagnosis and treatment due to its multifaceted nature. Elina Helosvuori and Venla Oikkonen from Finland conducted a study in which they aimed to explore the complexities of chronic pain,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Psychosocial Factors Must Be Taken Into Account When Dealing With Endometriosis

Psychosocial Factors Must Be Taken Into Account When Dealing With Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

It is crucial to take into account both physical and psychosocial factors to maintain physical and mental health in patients with endometriosis, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Psychology & Health. “Treatment should address both pelvic…

Key Points Lay Summary

New visions on diaphragmatic endometriosis

New visions on diaphragmatic endometriosis By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Elvin Piriyev and Thomas Römer from Academic Hospital Cologne Weyertal, Germany have published their retrospective analysis of diaphragm endometriosis in a recent issue of the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. About 7-10% of reproductive-age women have endometriosis but diaphragm…

Key Points Lay Summary

Complementary and alternative therapies for managing acyclic pelvic pain in women with endometriosis

Complementary and alternative therapies for managing acyclic pelvic pain in women with endometriosis By Hale Goksever Celik

The quality of life in women with endometriosis is affected depending on the symptoms and signs of endometriosis such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. Because of different clinical spectrum and diagnostic delays, there is no optimum management…

Key Points Lay Summary

The effect of medical treatment on sexual function and quality of life in women with endometriosis

The effect of medical treatment on sexual function and quality of life in women with endometriosis By Hale Goksever Celik

Women with endometriosis suffer from dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain, all of which has significant negative consequences on their physical and psychological health regarding sexual function, work and social relationships. Biasioli et al. from Italy, published an article entitled…

Key Points Lay Summary

"Ovarian Reserve Markers" in Peritoneal Endometriosis

By Selma Oransay

Endometriosis-related subfertility is attributed to multiple factors, including mechanical obstructions, adhesions, pelvic inflammation, and diminished ovarian reserve. Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels and ovarian antral follicle counts (AFC) currently serve as fertility markers to diagnose decreased ovarian reserve and failure.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Coupled torture due to endometriosis and depressive symptoms

Coupled torture due to endometriosis and depressive symptoms By Eylül GÜN

Endometriosis significantly impacts various aspects of women's lives including their physical and mental health, careers, and social relationships. Physically, it causes chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia, affecting 5-10% of reproductive-age women and leading to infertility challenges and a substantial percentage…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis With or Without Chronic Pain Linked to Anxiety and Depression

Endometriosis With or Without Chronic Pain Linked to Anxiety and Depression By Özge Özkaya

There may be a potential link between endometriosis, with and without chronic pain, anxiety, and depression, according to a new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. “We recommended that clinicians provide proper medical management of endometriosis-related pain through…

Key Points Lay Summary

Diagnosis and the Treatment of Postmenopausal Endometriosis

Diagnosis and the Treatment of Postmenopausal Endometriosis By Selma Oransay

About 190 million women around the world are diagnosed with endometriosis. The majority of the cases are between 30 and 40 years of age. After menopause, the incidence of endometriosis declines to 2-5%, and it is more common in women…

Key Points Lay Summary

Potential New Therapeutic Avenue for Deep Endometriosis

Potential New Therapeutic Avenue for Deep Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

The use of lipid nanoparticles carrying methotrexate seems to be safe and feasible in women with deep infiltrating endometriosis, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The approach could, therefore, be a new…

Key Points Lay Summary

A non-invasive test to determine the risk of endometriosis in women having chronic pelvic pain or unexplained infertility

A non-invasive test to determine the risk of endometriosis in women having chronic pelvic pain or unexplained infertility By Hale Goksever Celik

Women having endometriosis may suffer from chronic pelvic pain and/or infertility, both of which diminish the quality of life in these women. Minimalization of the time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis is essential to improve patients’ lives. However,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Mediterranean Diet Associated With Less Endometriosis Pain?

Mediterranean Diet Associated With Less Endometriosis Pain? By Özge Özkaya

There seems to be a link between pain relief in endometriosis and a Mediterranean diet, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Science. This finding suggests that a Mediterranean diet could help manage chronic pain in…

Key Points Lay Summary

Sacral neuromodulation for endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain

Sacral neuromodulation for endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain By Selma Oransay

Sacral neuromodulation is a therapeutic technique that involves electrical stimulation of a sacral nerve route to modulate a neural pathway. The device is an implantable neurostimulator, and the procedure is a minimally invasive procedure with good long-term outcomes. This technique…

Key Points Lay Summary

The overlap of endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome

The overlap of endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome By Eylül GÜN

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common causes of female subfertility similar to endometriosis. It has been hypothesized that owing to the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, women with endometriosis are at a greater risk of having PCOS than…

Key Points Lay Summary

Comparison of two different surgical approach to deep colorectal endometriosis in terms of postoperative outcomes.

Comparison of two different surgical approach to deep colorectal endometriosis in terms of postoperative outcomes. By Selma Oransay

Deep colorectal endometriosis affects one-fifth of women with endometriosis, which is commonly associated with more pelvic pain and severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Three surgical approaches for deep colorectal endometriosis are segmental colorectal resection, full-thickness discoid resection, and shaving operation. Choosing the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Omitted facet of endometriosis : mental health related to stigma

Omitted facet of endometriosis : mental health related to stigma By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

A team of clinical psychologists involved in women’s health led by Deniz Kocas has published a recent review on the mental health aspect of endometriosis patients in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. Endometriosis is a notoriously…

Key Points Lay Summary

Peritoneal Endometriosis and Acyclical pelvic pain

Peritoneal Endometriosis and Acyclical pelvic pain By Eylül GÜN

The most debilitating symptom of endometriosis is chronic pelvic pain. The peripheral nervous system is affected and the growth and regeneration of sensory nerve fibers in endometriotic tissue has been identified. The first line treatment which is hormonal therapy for…

Key Points Lay Summary

Exploring endometriosis symptoms and their effects on women's lives

Exploring endometriosis symptoms and their effects on women's lives By Eylül GÜN

Endometriosis symptoms, their severity, and the way they affect patients' lives may vary. With the aim of investigating different personal experiences and perceptions of endometriosis symptoms and the way they impact women's daily lives, Hunsche and colleagues from Switzerland and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women With Endometriosis More Likely to Also Have Non-Specific Symptoms

Women With Endometriosis More Likely to Also Have Non-Specific Symptoms By Özge Özkaya

Women with endometriosis are more likely to report menstrual symptoms, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. However, they are also at an increased risk of mental health disorders, other pain symptoms, bowel,…

Key Points Lay Summary

The compliance for post-surgical follow-ups after endometriosis surgery

The compliance for post-surgical follow-ups after endometriosis surgery By Selma Oransay

. The patient's adherence to follow-ups after surgery is essential as it is the only way to evaluate the surgery's benefits in improving pain symptoms and recurrences, measuring the quality of life, and fertility outcomes. . Dr. Szabo and his…

Key Points Lay Summary

Objective Assessment of Pain Sensitization in Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain

Objective Assessment of Pain Sensitization in Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain By Özge Özkaya

There are objective elements that can help assess the presence of central sensitization, independently of psychological factors, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This is the first study that assessed whether central sensitization…

Key Points Lay Summary

A Starch-Based Gel Barrier Reduces Pain and Improves Fertility After Endometriosis Surgery

A Starch-Based Gel Barrier Reduces Pain and Improves Fertility After Endometriosis Surgery By Özge Özkaya

The development of pain was reduced in women with endometriosis who underwent surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) resection and the "gel barrier 4DryField® PH" was used during the operation, according to results from a randomized controlled trial. Moreover, fertility was improved. "4DryField® PH"…

Key Points Lay Summary

Postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic rectosigmoid resection for bowel endometriosis.

Postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic rectosigmoid resection for bowel endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Rectosigmoid endometriosis comprises 80-85% of all bowel endometriosis cases and can be localized in the rectovaginal septum, uterosacral ligaments, retro-cervical region, and parametrium. Symptoms of rectosigmoid endometriosis include abdominal bloating, constipation-diarrhea, lower-back pain, dyschezia, and sometimes cyclic rectal bleeding. Minimally…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain Scoring System for Deep Endometriosis

 Pain Scoring System for Deep Endometriosis By Selma Oransay

The numeric pain scale is commonly used to interpret pain score values. According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, pain scores of 4-7 points indicate moderate, and  8-10 points indicate severe pain. Patients with a local pain score of…

Key Points Lay Summary

Outcomes of improving chronic pelvic pain with "immersive digital therapeutics" at home.

Outcomes of improving chronic pelvic pain with By Selma Oransay

Studies have shown that virtual reality can effectively treat acute pain experienced by burn victims, during labor, dental surgery, or for chronic musculoskeletal, neuropathic, and cancer pain. Considering the effectiveness of treating chronic pelvic pain at home, Merlot et al.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis and Genetic Polymorphisms in Proinflammatory Cytokines

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

Outcomes of chronic pelvic pain after niche repair

Outcomes of chronic pelvic pain after niche repair By Selma Oransay

Rapidly increasing cesarian section rates in recent years increased the cesarian scar defects and the development of "isthmoceles". Isthmocele is a myometrial lesion located around the isthmic portion of the uterus that is a myometrial discontinuity or hypoechoic triangle in…

Key Points Lay Summary

Melatonin for endometriosis-associated pain

Melatonin for endometriosis-associated pain By Eylül GÜN

Treatment options for endometriosis-associated pain include analgesics, hormonal therapy, and surgery. However, these treatments may be ineffective for some women, leading to a search for alternative approaches. Melatonin, a hormone involved in regulating sleep-wake cycles, possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-estrogenic…

Key Points Lay Summary

Limitations of current surgical classification systems for endometriosis.

Limitations of current surgical classification systems for endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Many classification systems for endometriosis have been developed since the 1970s, and in a 2021 review, more than 20 of those systems were identified. The best-known and most frequently used are rASRM (revised  American Society of Reproductive Medicine), the Enzian…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pelvic pain in transgender individuals on testosterone therapy

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

The cost-effectiveness of different GnRH agonist regimes for progestogen-resistant endometriosis.

The cost-effectiveness of different GnRH agonist regimes for progestogen-resistant endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Surgical and medical treatments are currently used to treat the pelvic pain caused by endometriosis. Respected guidelines recommend using progestins with or without estrogens as first-line medical treatment due to their safety, effectiveness, inexpensive, and tolerability. However, one-third to one-quarter…

Key Points Lay Summary

The effect of dienogest vs ethynyl estradiol/dienogest on quality of life in women with endometriosis

The effect of dienogest vs ethynyl estradiol/dienogest on quality of life in women with endometriosis By Hale Goksever Celik

Women with endometriosis suffer from dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain that diminishes the quality of their life. Both physical and mental components of quality of life have been affected by endometriosis-associated symptoms. There are several medical and surgical treatment…

Key Points Lay Summary

​Integrative medical management of endometriosis

​Integrative medical management of endometriosis By Selma Oransay

This lecture entitled "Integrative Medical Management of Endometriosis" was presented by Dr. Pinar Kodaman, Director of the endoscopic reproductive surgery program and Assoc. Professor of Clinical ObGyn and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. In addition to surgery which…

Key Points Lay Summary

Which surgery for deep endometriosis? Laparoscopic shaving or rectal resection?

 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

The role of neurogenic inflammation in endometriosis

The role of neurogenic inflammation in endometriosis By Eylül GÜN

Prof. Mechsner from Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany presented on neuroimmunomodulation and its clinical impact on endometriosis at the Annual International Medical Conference of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Endometriosis is a complex disease and the main symptoms are all pain-related. The pain mechanisms are…

Key Points Lay Summary

Is there any advantage of addition of hysterectomy on deep endometriotic pelvic pain or on the quality of life?

Is there any advantage of addition of hysterectomy on deep endometriotic pelvic pain or on the quality of life?  By Selma Oransay

 The addition of hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy to the endometriosis excision surgery provided greater benefits when compared to excision surgery alone, according to the results of a comparison study that was recently published in the journal named "Facts Views and Visions in Obstetrics…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain Have a Negative Experience With Doctors

Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain Have a Negative Experience With Doctors By Özge Özkaya

Women with chronic pelvic pain have a negative experience with the healthcare system, according to a study by US researchers published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This is the case regardless of whether or not they have…

Key Points Lay Summary

Is there a way for a nonaddictive opioid for endometriosis pain?

Is there a way for a nonaddictive opioid for endometriosis pain? By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis is a neuro-inflammatory disease whose current medical treatment is hormonal therapy. Given the side effects and the possible interactions between the opioid system and pain mechanisms, a new opioid medication might be promising. in the review conducted by Dr.Mechsner et…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis awarness for the Gastroenterologists.

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

Gathering brings relief to endometriosis pain.

Gathering brings relief to endometriosis pain. By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that should be managed on a multidisciplinary basis. In a study conducted in Porto Rico, the authors designed a multitask organization to support women with endometriosis and analyzed its feasibility and accessibility. In order to define…

Key Points Lay Summary

GnRH Antagonists Can Effectively Reduce Endometriosis Pain

GnRH Antagonists Can Effectively Reduce Endometriosis Pain By Özge Özkaya

Oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists are effective in reducing pain associated with endometriosis in 12 weeks, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The safety and efficacy of most drugs were dose-dependent…

Key Points Lay Summary

The effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of dysmenorrrhea

The effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of dysmenorrrhea By Selma Oransay

Asymptomatic endometriosis does not adversely affect women's quality of life and mental health. But the quality of life of women with endometriosis who suffer endometriosis-related pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and dysuria declines as they become more susceptible to anxiety and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Myofascial pain management and endometriosis

Myofascial pain management and endometriosis By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that causes inflammation around pelvic muscles and peripheric nerves which ultimately may cause peripheral and central sensitization and result in increased response to pain. In the study conducted by Shrikhande at al. from the pelvic…

Key Points Lay Summary

Weighting (side)effects when dealing with endometriosis-associated pain.

Weighting (side)effects when dealing with endometriosis-associated pain. By Bahar Yuksel

The treatment options for endometriosis-related pain are so many. And the guidelines leave the selection to the clinicians, which causes obscurity between preferences. In the study by Christine Poulos et al, the authors analyzed the response of clinicians on the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Evaluation of the postoperative disability in women with endometriosis.

 Evaluation of the postoperative disability in women with endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Endometriosis is a chronic disease with a prevalence of 4,4% in women of reproductive age. It is also estimated that 23,8 of infertile women have endometriosis. Pelvic pain, dyschezia, dysmenorrhea, and dysuria are the symptoms of this disease that negatively…

Key Points Lay Summary

The most common gynecologic admissions to the emergency: Endometriosis and adenomyosis

The most common gynecologic admissions to the emergency: Endometriosis and adenomyosis By Hale Goksever Celik

Women with endometriosis demand therapy for the most common symptoms, which are pelvic pain and infertility. Adenomyosis occurs when the endometrial glandular and stromal tissue grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, called the myometrium. Women having adenomyosis also…

Key Points Lay Summary

Diaphragmatic Endometriosis: a Call for Awareness

Diaphragmatic Endometriosis: a Call for Awareness By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Dr. Pagano and colleagues from the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Bern, Switzerland, have published a prospective cohort study on diaphragmatic involvement in endometriosis patients in a recent issue of “The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology”. Endometriosis is…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis-Associated Pain: The Role of Sensitization

Endometriosis-Associated Pain: The Role of Sensitization By Eylül GÜN

As the most common symptom of the disease, endometriosis-associated pain (EAP) is experienced as dysmenorrhea, non-cyclical pelvic pain, and cyclical pain related to organ function. EAP is contributed to by different mechanisms, including local factors, peripheral sensitization, central sensitization, cross-sensitization,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Younger Women With Endometriosis Feel More Pain

Younger Women With Endometriosis Feel More Pain By Özge Özkaya

Younger women with endometriosis feel more period pain (dysmenorrhea) and pain during intercourse (dyspareunia) compared to older women with the disease, found a new study published in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.  Acknowledging this fact can make sure…

Key Points Lay Summary

The "Painful Periods Screening Tool" Could Speed Endometriosis Diagnosis

The By Özge Özkaya

The Painful Periods Screening Tool (PPST) is a useful tool for women with endometriosis, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Reproductive Sciences. The study's authors said that the tool “ facilitated communication between patients and providers…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis and the body perception

Endometriosis and the body perception By Hale Goksever Celik

The most common endometriosis-associated symptoms are pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility. Women with endometriosis should be managed due to the significant impact of these symptoms on their quality of life. Body perceptions of these women are also affected depending…

Key Points Lay Summary

Do combination GnRH antagonists improve endometriosis-associated pain?

Do combination GnRH antagonists improve endometriosis-associated pain? By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease with a broad spectrum of pain symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. It has been understood in light of scientific evidence that endometriosis results in diminished quality of life in these…

Key Points Lay Summary

Minimally Invasive Surgery Improves the Quality of Life of Women With Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis

Minimally Invasive Surgery Improves the Quality of Life of Women With Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Minimally invasive surgery improves the quality of life of women with deep infiltrating endometriosis two years after the operation, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The results are similar between conservative and total surgery.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Opioid use following operation for endometriosis or pelvic pain

Opioid use following operation for endometriosis or pelvic pain By Hale Goksever Celik

Women with endometriosis have pain in the form of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain, and they have a diminished quality of life depending on the severity of pelvic pain. Opioids have been preferred in many patients suffering from pain,…

Key Points Lay Summary

What causes pelvic pain? Androgens or estrogens?

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

Anhedonia and its relation to endometriosis as a sole symptom

Anhedonia and its relation to endometriosis as a sole symptom By Eylül GÜN

"Anhedonia may be defined as a broad category of hedonic function deficiencies, including diminished motivation or enjoyment capacity. It has been an area of interest for a long time in psychiatric disorders and has been crucial in some diagnoses such…

Key Points Lay Summary

Non-hormonal medication for endometriosis-associated pelvic pain

 Non-hormonal medication for endometriosis-associated pelvic pain By Selma Oransay

The thought of benefiting from non-hormonal therapy in endometriosis pain is based on the pathophysiological findings that include angiogenesis, fibrosis, the presence of inflammatory cytokines and immune cells, apoptosis, and stem cell theory. But the effect of this treatment in…

Key Points Lay Summary

How beneficial is colorectal surgery for patients with deep endometriosis?

How beneficial is colorectal surgery for patients with deep endometriosis? By Eylül GÜN

In cases of deep endometriosis, which causes more severe pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, the patient's quality of life and fertility outcomes are negatively affected. Surgical intervention is thought to be the optimal treatment method in colorectal deep endometriosis cases, however,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis and the possible mechanisms of pain.

 Endometriosis and the possible mechanisms of pain. By Selma Oransay

The most common clinical symptoms of endometriosis are chronic pelvic pain and infertility. It is often not enough to treat pain symptoms with hormonal therapy or a surgical approach. Moreover, the stage of endometriosis has weakly associated with the amount,…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Sex Life of Women With Endometriosis Improve After Laparoscopic Surgery

The Sex Life of Women With Endometriosis Improve After Laparoscopic Surgery By Eylül GÜN

As one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis, dyspareunia affects the patient's quality of life in many aspects including sexual dysfunction and disorders. Among the treatment methods used in endometriosis, laparoscopic surgery is suggested to improve the symptoms of dyspareunia and the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pelvic pain characteristics in young girls with endometriosis.

 Pelvic pain characteristics in young girls with endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

The occurrence of severe and frequent pelvic pain in young women is a piece of evidence that endometriosis begins and develops at an early age. Two-thirds of women with endometriosis who were diagnosed in their adulthood reported the onset of…

Key Points Lay Summary

Combined Birth Control Pills May Be Beneficial in Reducing Endometriosis Pain

Combined Birth Control Pills May Be Beneficial in Reducing Endometriosis Pain By Özge Özkaya

Treatment with an extended regimen of ethinylestradiol and drospirenone improves health-related quality of life, according to a new study conducted on Japanese women with painful periods or pelvic pain due to endometriosis. (Ethinylestradiol and drospirenone are medications that are widely…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis Prediction by "Machine Learning"

Endometriosis Prediction by By Selma Oransay

To develop a predictive model for endometriosis and to re-assess the contribution of known risk factors, Blass et al. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel used the data of the UK biobank by machine learning-based models. They compared and…

Key Points Lay Summary

To Remove the Ovary(ies) or Not During Hysterectomy for Endometriosis

To Remove the Ovary(ies) or Not During Hysterectomy for Endometriosis By Selma Oransay

Some surgeons prefer empiric bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy during the hysterectomy of women with endometriosis based on the knowledge that endometriosis is stimulated by endogenous estrogens, as leaving the ovaries in situ may increase the possibility of endometriosis recurrence and pelvic pain.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Sex Education For The Sexual Quality Of Life

Sex Education For The Sexual Quality Of Life By Hale Goksever Celik

The most common symptoms of endometriosis are dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. Decreased quality of life due to pelvic pain, dyspareunia, and psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression can lead to sexual dysfunction in women with endometriosis.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Time has come to learn more about endometriosis and take action!

Time has come to learn more about endometriosis and take action! By Eylül GÜN

It has been a long time since endometriosis was defined. Extensive population studies have shown that around 10% of women suffer from this condition. Depending on its severity, it alters the various functions of the body and causes the patients…

Key Points Lay Summary

Is it possible to reduce pain by diet in endometriosis?

Is it possible to reduce pain by diet in endometriosis? By Eylül GÜN

Endometriosis-related pain is one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis that significantly affects the patient's quality of life. The peripheral and central sensitization, caused by chronic inflammation activation, may result in referred pain. The pain perception was shown to…

Key Points Lay Summary

Understanding the expression of endometriosis-related pain: A barrier to overcome

Understanding the expression of endometriosis-related pain: A barrier to overcome By Eylül GÜN

It is difficult to describe the feeling of pain, one of the most important symptoms of endometriosis because it is subjective. Endometriosis-related pain is proven to be underestimated by some clinicians resulting in the patient getting a late diagnosis. It…

Key Points Lay Summary

Chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis

Chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis By Selma Oransay

Patients may have an average of 7 clinical visits before being diagnosed with endometriosis. Understanding chronic pain conditions including endometriosis-associated pain, and developing chronic pelvic pain benefits the management of the patients. The role of central sensitization, comorbid conditions, and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Surgery Improves the Sex Life and Sleep of Women With Endometriosis

Surgery Improves the Sex Life and Sleep of Women With Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Endometriosis surgery improves patients’ quality of life, sexual function, and sleep confirms a new study by Turkish researchers published in the scientific journal Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. According to the first author Dr. Belfin Nur Arici Halici of the…

Key Points Lay Summary

The consequence of COVID-19 pandemic on endometriosis patients

The consequence of COVID-19 pandemic on endometriosis patients By Selma Oransay

The relevant policies and restrictions concerning Covid-19 have prevented patients from accessing medical care. Similarly, standard care for endometriosis patients has also been negatively impacted by postponed or canceled appointments and suspended surgeries across the countries. Women trying to cope…

Key Points Lay Summary

The evaluation of sexual dysfunction in infertile women

The evaluation of sexual dysfunction in infertile women By Eylül GÜN

Infertility constitutes a serious health problem in women and men worldwide. The most common causes of women’s infertility are reported to be endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The prevalence of infertility in women with endometriosis is as high as 50%.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Social media and endometriosis management

Social media and endometriosis management By Selma Oransay

Endometriosis has a negative impact on social life, work, daily activities, personal relationship, and overall quality of life. A study from Australia recently published in the Australian New Zeland Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reports that social media helps these…

Key Points Lay Summary

No way to sleep when you suffer from pain

No way to sleep when you suffer from pain By Bahar Yuksel

Having chronic disease might alter the sleep quality and disturb sleeping periods. Besides insomnia, endometriosis itself changes the pain sensitivity and increases the body’s reaction to inflammatory and painful inputs. Thus, as a chronic and painful long-term situation, the relation…

Key Points Lay Summary

Which Method Is Best To Reduce Pain During Egg Retrieval?

Which Method Is Best To Reduce Pain During Egg Retrieval? By Özge Özkaya

Women experience the least pain during egg retrieval for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) when alfentanil is injected into the muscles and this is followed by fentanyl injection into the bloodstream and non-sedative analgesics given by…

Key Points Lay Summary

Potential New Approach to Treat Endometriosis

Potential New Approach to Treat Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Inhibiting ribosome biogenesis could be a potential therapeutic approach for endometriosis according to a new study published in the scientific journal Biomedicines. Ribosome biogenesis plays a key role in protein homeostasis during cell growth and division. Previous research has shown…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis diagnosis and management based on the best available evidence from published literature

Endometriosis diagnosis and management based on the best available evidence from published literature By Selma Oransay

ESHRE, "European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology" published a Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis in 2005 and then revised it in 2013. Based on new research and development there was a need to renew the last…

Key Points Lay Summary

What are the most common symptoms of endometriosis and how are they related to age?

What are the most common symptoms of endometriosis and how are they related to age? By Eylül GÜN

Even though the incidence of endometriosis is relatively high and numerous studies are being conducted to elucidate its pathogenesis, it is still a highly underdiagnosed and undertreated disease. The symptoms of the disease are well-known; however, the correlation between the…

Key Points Lay Summary

A revolutionary view on endometriosis related pain

A revolutionary view on endometriosis related pain By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Dr. Lydia Coxon and colleagues from Oxford University, UK, have recently published their cross-sectional study on the categorization of endometriosis-related pain in the journal "Frontiers in Pain Research". As a chronic inflammatory condition, endometriosis results in pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Mindfullness Can Hep Reduce Endometriosis Pain

Mindfullness Can Hep Reduce Endometriosis Pain By Özge Özkaya

A brief mindfulness-based intervention can be useful in managing pain related to endometriosis and restoring patients’ psychological well-being, found a new study published in the European Journal of Pain. This finding contributes to the applicability of mindfulness-based interventions in people…

Key Points Lay Summary

It is all about awareness when it comes to endometriosis

It is all about awareness when it comes to endometriosis By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain are known to have debilitating effects on daily life, educational life, and work life. However, the true prevalence and effects of the disease data are still controversial all over the World. The survey-based study conducted…

Key Points Lay Summary

Cannabis use in the management of endometriosis-related pain during the COVID19 pandemic

Cannabis use in the management of endometriosis-related pain during the COVID19 pandemic By Eylül GÜN

Pain management in endometriosis has been challenging owing to many reasons. Since the pathways that cause pain in endometriosis have not been elucidated extensively, the medical and surgical management of pain remains to be symptomatic. Alternative pain management methods have…

Key Points Lay Summary

Algorithm for pain management in endometriosis

Algorithm for pain management in endometriosis By Selma Oransay

One of the debilitating symptoms of endometriosis is pain. Mostly due to delayed diagnosis and the high recurrence rate, even after the surgical and hormonal therapy pain control may not be sufficient causing the patient to suffer for decades.  Endometriosis-associated…

Key Points Lay Summary

Surgery for the Treatment of Endometriosis of the Diaphragm and Thorax

Surgery for the Treatment of Endometriosis of the Diaphragm and Thorax By Özge Özkaya

Diaphragmatic and thoracic endometriosis starts in the abdominal wall of the diaphragm and later invades the thorax, based on findings from a series of patients surgically treated for the disease, reports a study published in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis of the Diaphragm, What do the Doctors Know About it?

Endometriosis of the Diaphragm, What do the Doctors Know About it? By Özge Özkaya

The median time between the first consultation with a primary care physician and receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis of the diaphragm is two years according to a study by U.K. researchers. In the worse case, it took 23 years for…

Key Points Lay Summary

Urinary Tract Endometriosis

Urinary Tract Endometriosis By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis is mostly seen in patients of fertile age, and urinary tract endometriosis affects 1.2 to 6% of women with endometriosis. French coloRectal Infiltrating ENDometriosis Study (FRIENDS) group investigated the characteristics of urinary tract endometriosis in 232 patients from 31 centers. Authors…

Key Points Lay Summary

Quality of life assessment in women with endometrioma

Quality of life assessment in women with endometrioma By Eylül GÜN

Like most chronic diseases, endometriosis poses a significant risk of diminishing the quality of life in patients suffering from it, particularly with its most considerable symptom; chronic pelvic pain. Although it is known that endometriosis is more common in East…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain During Intercourse, What Does it Feel Like?

Pain During Intercourse, What Does it Feel Like? By Özge Özkaya

The presentation, severity, and impact of painful intercourse caused by endometriosis differ between patients, found a new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. According to the authors of the study, these findings are important because they can help…

Key Points Lay Summary

Evaluation of daily diary for endometriosis-related pain.

Evaluation of daily diary for endometriosis-related pain. By Selma Oransay

Some endometriosis patient-reported outcomes elements have been previously developed in accordance with regulatory and best practice guidelines including Endometriosis Pain Daily Diary, the Endometriosis Symptom Diary, and Endometriosis Impact Scale. The aim of this study was to develop another content-valid…

Key Points Lay Summary

Physical activity and exercise in reducing endometriosis symptoms

Physical activity and exercise in reducing endometriosis symptoms By Eylül GÜN

The treatment modalities to date on endometriosis have focused on the symptomatic relief and management of chronic pain. Hormonal suppression sometimes shows intolerable side effects and is known to lose effect after some time. Surgical interventions may not provide a…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain alone is not a specific predictor for endometriosis diagnosis

Pain alone is not a specific predictor for endometriosis diagnosis By Hale Goksever Celik

The most common symptoms and signs of women with endometriosis include dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. However, diagnostic delay still occurs due to the broad clinical spectrum of the disease and the absence of non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. Gordon et…

Key Points Lay Summary

The quality of life and mental health in endometriosis patients

The quality of life and mental health in endometriosis patients By Eylül GÜN

One of the most important aspects of having a chronic illness comes with its relative effect on the patients’ quality of life and mental health status. Being among the most debilitating diseases in women in the reproductive period, endometriosis is…

Key Points Lay Summary

From Spain: execution for endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain unresponsive to conventional therapies

From Spain: execution for endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain unresponsive to conventional therapies By Selma Oransay

The current conventional therapy for chronic pelvic pain for endometriosis is defined as either hormonal or non-hormonal medical treatment starting with combined oral contraceptives progestins or dienogest, and then gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs and/or surgery. Although conventional therapies usually are successful, still…

Key Points Lay Summary

Importance of Language in Communicating Endometriosis Pain

Importance of Language in Communicating Endometriosis Pain By Özge Özkaya

Language is of great importance for women with endometriosis to communicate their pain to their doctor, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Global Women's Health. The study also found that additional tools are needed to help women…

Key Points Lay Summary

An Overview on Treatment of endometriosis

An Overview on Treatment of endometriosis By Selma Oransay

There are different guidelines by different gynecological societies for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, which is an extremely complex illness.  Kalaitzopoulos and Samartzis et al. from Switzerland worked on and compared six national and two international widely used guidelines to…

Key Points Lay Summary

Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives on Endometriosis Pain

Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives on Endometriosis Pain By Özge Özkaya

There is no difference between the oral progestin dienogest and combined oral contraceptive pills in managing pain and increasing quality of life in women with endometriosis, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. However, there was…

Key Points Lay Summary

Evaluation of patient self-reported outcome measures for endometriosis.

Evaluation of patient self-reported outcome measures for endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Endometriosis symptomology is multifactorial and it changes over time based on the patient's life experience, perceptions, and medical treatment. These changes require the agility of adaptation for both clinicians and patients to respond properly. The documentation of the patient's specific…

Key Points Lay Summary

Relationship Goals and Sexual Satisfaction for Couples Coping with Endometriosis

Relationship Goals and Sexual Satisfaction for Couples Coping with Endometriosis By Selma Oransay

"Relationship satisfaction" is based on an individual's emotional judgment. Physical and emotional obstacles may present and negatively affect relationship satisfaction. Endometriosis is associated with multiple life domains, and also includes relationship and sexual satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction, on the other hand,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Antinuclear Antibody May Be Linked to Milder Disease in Endometriosis

Antinuclear Antibody May Be Linked to Milder Disease in Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

The prevalence of positive antinuclear antibody was 21.2% in women with endometriosis compared to 5.4% in controls, according to a new study published in the journal Human Immunology. Antinuclear antibodies are autoantibodies that bind to the content of the cell…

Key Points Lay Summary

Cross-cultural translation and adaptation of an endometriosis survey

Cross-cultural translation and adaptation of an endometriosis survey By Eylül GÜN

Endometriosis is a disease that presents heterogeneously which makes it hard to identify a causal relationship. A patient-based questionnaire called Endometriosis Participant Questionnaire (EPQ) has been originated by The World Endometriosis Research Foundation Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonization Project. It…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pharmacological Therapy for Endometriosis Pain

Pharmacological Therapy for Endometriosis Pain By Eylül GÜN

The negative effects of endometriosis on women’s quality of life are indisputable. Women who suffer from endometriosis might have to deal with problems in many aspects such as psychological, sexual, social, and economic. Pain which is one of the most…

Key Points Lay Summary

The new Endometriosis Surgical Complexity Classification: AAGL 2021

The new Endometriosis Surgical Complexity Classification: AAGL 2021 By Selma Oransay

Multiple endometriosis categorizations have been approved in the recent forty years. The American Fertility Society proposed ASRM with a desire to score the impact of the endometriosis in 1996,  which was updated several times later (rASRM), to predict infertility after laparoscopic operations. For…

Key Points Lay Summary

Dietary adjustments do not increase the quality of life of women with endometriosis.

Dietary adjustments do not increase the quality of life of women with endometriosis. By Özge Özkaya

Even though dietary changes do not seem to increase patients’ quality of life, they lead to a perceived reduction in symptoms. No specific adjustment in the diet increases the quality of life of women with endometriosis, according to a new…

Key Points Lay Summary

Could Cannabis Be Recommended to Manage Endometriosis?

Could Cannabis Be Recommended to Manage Endometriosis? By Özge Özkaya

It is not possible to recommend cannabis-based products to patients with endometriosis because there is not enough evidence supporting their benefits, according to a new study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. Cannabis-based products have been suggested as…

Key Points Lay Summary

Persistence of Chronic Pelvic Pain after Hysterectomy

Persistence of Chronic Pelvic Pain after Hysterectomy By Hale Goksever Celik

Chronic pelvic pain is defined as the "pain in the pelvic area that lasts for 6 months or longer". There are several gynecological, urological, and gastrointestinal reasons for the development of chronic pelvic pain. Nociceptive pain or central sensitization is…

Key Points Lay Summary

Improvement of sexual-life quality in patients with endometrioma

Improvement of sexual-life quality in patients with endometrioma By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis is a painful disease that affects daily life as well as sexual life quality. In the study conducted by Yalcin Bahat et al, the researchers questioned the effect of periodic use of dydrogesterone on the sexual life quality of patients with…

Key Points Lay Summary

How to Reduce Pain After Laparoscopic Surgery

How to Reduce Pain After Laparoscopic Surgery By Özge Özkaya

Using humidified warm gas with forced-air warming blanket during laparoscopic surgery resulted in significantly less pain in the recovery room, according to a new study published in the journal "Surgical Endoscopy". In patients with endometriosis, using humidified warm air even…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Cost of Healthcare for Chronic Pelvic Pain

The Cost of Healthcare for Chronic Pelvic Pain By Özge Özkaya

The healthcare costs of pelvic pain range between 1,367 USD and 7,043 USD per woman per year, found a new study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. The study also reported that prescription costs ranged between 193…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endogenous cannabinoids are related to endometriosis pain

Endogenous cannabinoids are related to endometriosis pain By Eylül GÜN

Pain, specifically dysmenorrhea is the most important symptom of endometriosis. Prostaglandins are the main director of the pain process in dysmenorrhea, therefore the mechanisms affecting the prostaglandin metabolism have been studied in order to find a treatment for pain, and found that…

Key Points Lay Summary

Potential new Target to Reduce Endometriosis Pain

Potential new Target to Reduce Endometriosis Pain By Özge Özkaya

The inflammatory mediators, bradykinin, and bradykinin B1 receptor may play a role in the onset of endometriosis-associated pain according to a new study by Chinese researchers. They do so by inducing the prostaglandin signaling pathway. Therefore, targeting these biological pathways…

Key Points Lay Summary

A rare complication of  endometriosis

A rare complication of  endometriosis By Selma Oransay

Morales et al. from the Monterrey School of Medicine, Mexico, reported a case of bowel intussusception in a woman with severe endometriosis to draw attention to this very rare endometriosis complication. The case is a 27 years old young female…

Key Points Lay Summary

Awareness is the first step toward endometriosis treatment

Awareness is the first step toward endometriosis treatment By Dr. Youngran Park

We want to reiterate the importance of endometriosis, by handling the paper entitled "Endometriosis awareness: screaming at the top of our voices" published on April 2021 in the journal “Women & Health”. The Endometriosis Awareness Month of 2021 was a little different,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Outpatient neuromuscular protocol may improve the quality of life in women with chronic pelvic pain

Outpatient neuromuscular protocol may improve the quality of life in women with chronic pelvic pain By Bahar Yuksel

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a complicated entity causing central and peripheric sensitization of nerves. The sensitization processes start a loop of unbreakable pain chain causing resistance to conventional therapy methods. The study conducted by Soha Patil et al covering data…

Key Points Lay Summary

Depression and Anxiety Common in Women with Endo

Depression and Anxiety Common in Women with Endo By Özge Özkaya

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are frequent among women with endometriosis and are related to chronic pain, confirms a review of the literature and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Women's Health.  According to the study authors, correlating factors should…

Key Points Lay Summary

The incidence and prevalence of endometriosis in a United States population-based study .

The incidence and prevalence  of endometriosis in a United States population-based study . By Selma Oransay

To define the accurate incidence and prevalence estimates of endometriosis among nonselected cohorts in the USA, Christ et al. from the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Washington, Seattle, planned a retrospective cohort study using the electronic KPWA…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis & adolescents: Overcoming the diagnostic delay via education

Endometriosis & adolescents: Overcoming the diagnostic delay via education By Eylül GÜN

Although the diagnosis of endometriosis is still not timely even in adults, due to its common under- or misdiagnosis in adolescents, the diagnostic delay may further cause the adolescent women to wait to seek medical treatment.  A group of researchers…

Key Points Lay Summary

The clues for pain and infertility in endometriosis/adenomyosis complex

The clues for pain and infertility in endometriosis/adenomyosis complex By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Drs. Gruber and Mechsner from Charite University-Berlin, Germany published their comprehensive review on pathophysiological background of endometriosis and adenomyosis in the scientific periodical “Cells”. Chronic pain and fertility problems are the main clinical issue in endometriosis and adenomyosis patients. In order to…

Key Points Lay Summary

Non-pharmacological self-care: dietary modifications in women with endometriosis.

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

Not just the pain stops but also the bowel function improves after DIE surgery

Not just the pain stops but also the bowel function improves after DIE surgery By Bahar Yuksel

Bowel endometriosis and the techniques to operate it have always been a challenge. The study conducted by Beraldo et al., from Brazil, highlighted the results of an effective nerve-sparing bowel surgery on endometriosis lesions and its long-term effects on patients. The…

Key Points Lay Summary

Impact of adenomyosis on sexual life

Impact of adenomyosis on sexual life By Selma Oransay

Considering the similar etiopathogenesis and pain symptoms between adenomyosis and deep infiltrating endometriosis, Alcalde et al. from the Department of Gynecology, University of Barcelona, Spain, aimed to call attention to the presence of potential sexual dysfunction not only in patients with deep…

Key Points Lay Summary

Does exercise have an effect on pain perception in women with endometriosis?

Does exercise have an effect on pain perception in women with endometriosis? By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease causing pain symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and also infertility. Several medical and surgical treatment options have been developed to improve quality of life of these women. Despite extensive research, the optimal…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Severity of Pain Does not Predict Endometriosis or its Stage, Study Confirms

The Severity of Pain Does not Predict Endometriosis or its Stage, Study Confirms By Özge Özkaya

The intensity of pain a woman experiences could predict whether or not she would undergo laparoscopic surgery. However, it could not predict whether she has endometriosis or in case she did, the severity of her disease. This is according to…

Key Points Lay Summary

Outcomes of chronic pelvic pain of endometriosis after laparoscopic surgery

Outcomes of chronic pelvic pain of endometriosis after laparoscopic surgery By Selma Oransay

The prevalence of endometriosis is up to 35-50% among patients with pelvic pain. Among several medical and surgical options to relieve chronic pelvic pain, surgical options are the preferred method but this depends on patients' age, fertility desire, and disease…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women reject using hormonal drugs for endometriosis, an accelerating need for nonhormonal medications

Women reject using hormonal drugs for endometriosis, an accelerating need for nonhormonal medications By Bahar Yuksel

Although the pathophysiology of endometriosis is poorly understood, endocrine drugs are widely used for reducing inflammation and patients’ symptoms. Burla and colleagues aimed to evaluate the patients’ thoughts and expectations about the endocrine drugs which are used in the treatment…

Key Points Lay Summary

Managing Persistent Pelvic Pain in a distinct "pain" clinic

Managing Persistent Pelvic Pain in a distinct By Selma Oransay

Persistent pelvic pain is an important problem producing physiological stress and productivity loss during the reproductive period of women. A specific pelvic pain clinic named "Mater Health Persistent Pelvic Pain Clinic" was established in 2017 in a part of the emergency…

Key Points Lay Summary

The higher the cyst fluid iron concentration, the more severe the pain symptom for endometrioma

The higher the cyst fluid iron concentration, the more severe the pain symptom for endometrioma By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis usually is encountered in three different forms: superficial peritoneal endometriosis, ovarian cysts (endometrioma) and deep infiltrating endometriosis. Endometrioma can be identified as cystic lesions consisting of dark brown endometrial fluid and are sometimes referred to as "chocolate cysts." The presence…

Key Points Lay Summary

Peritoneal Pockets and Endometriosis

Peritoneal Pockets and Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Infertile women with peritoneal pockets had more endometriosis compared to women without pockets according to a study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. Severe pelvic pain was also associated with the presence of pockets and the presence…

Key Points Lay Summary

The endless burden: sexual dysfunction and endometriosis

The endless burden: sexual dysfunction and endometriosis By Bahar Yuksel

The relationship between endometriosis and sexual health in women is one of the hottest topics in obstetrics and gynecology practice. There are some previous reports that investigated the effect of endometriosis on the loss of libido, arousal disorder, orgasmic dysfunction,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Targeting Endometriosis From a Different Angle

Targeting Endometriosis From a Different Angle By Özge Özkaya

Dopamine agonists could help reduce the size of endometriosis lesions and minimize pain, while maintaining ovulation, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Human Reproduction. This constitutes a completely different approach in targeting endometriosis according to Dr.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Chronic Opioid Use in Women with Endometriosis

Chronic Opioid Use in Women with Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Women with endometriosis are at a higher risk of chronic opioid use compared to those without the disease, according to a new study by researchers in the U.S. This could be due to other diseases that accompany endometriosis.  This finding…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain Sensitization and What Should Be Done About it?

Pain Sensitization and What Should Be Done About it? By Özge Özkaya

Pain sensitization and lumbopelvic impairments are common among women with endometriosis, especially if they have advanced stage disease. This is according to a study by researchers in Spain that was published in the scientific journal "Pain Medicine". The finding underscores the…

Key Points Lay Summary

The effects of endometriosis on life satisfaction.

The effects of endometriosis on life satisfaction. By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis is well-known for its debilitating effects on women suffering from it. In the review conducted by Masoumeh Namazi et al, the authors have collected studies searching for the wellbeing of women with endometriosis. They have analyzed 46 studies that…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis and Sexual Satisfaction

Endometriosis and Sexual Satisfaction By Özge Özkaya

Endometriosis affects the ability to have an orgasm during sexual intercourse, according to a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. However, the disease does not have an effect on reaching orgasm via masturbation or sexual activities with a…

Key Points Lay Summary

The cause of PAIN in patients with adenomyosis

The cause of PAIN in patients with adenomyosis By Bahar Yuksel

Adenomyosis is known to be a painful disease with heavy menstrual cycles and negatively affects fertility. Even adenomyosis and endometriosis look alike, it is still crucial to call them as different variation of the same disease. The mechanism underlying the…

Key Points Lay Summary

The incidence of endometriosis and pelvic pain in transgender man

The incidence of endometriosis and pelvic pain in transgender man By Bahar Yuksel

Transgender operations are quite common all around the world and hysterectomies are performed almost 1 in 5 of this population. The studies conducted until now mostly evaluated operative and postoperative outcomes, but the present research also questioned the preoperative symptoms and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Do Adolescents Know About Endometriosis?

Do Adolescents Know About Endometriosis? By Özge Özkaya

Most secondary school girls have painful periods and many of them don’t know what typical periods are like, according to a study published in the "Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology".  The majority of the girls do not have knowledge…

Key Points Lay Summary

The improvement of fertility rate and symptoms of superficial endometriosis following laparoscopic peritoneal stripping

The improvement of fertility rate and symptoms of superficial endometriosis following laparoscopic peritoneal stripping By Selma Oransay

Pain, in the form of diverse entities, including dyspareunia, dysuria, dyschezia, is the main symptom of endometriosis patients. The severity of pain is independent of the extent and the location of the disease, and generally causes a negative impact on…

Key Points Lay Summary

Vitamin D supplementation, endometriosis symptoms and metabolic profiles

Vitamin D supplementation, endometriosis symptoms and metabolic profiles By Hale Goksever Celik

Patients with endometriosis suffer from dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. These women are also at higher risk for ovarian and breast cancer, cardiovascular events, and metabolic abnormalities. Several medical and surgical alternatives have been recommended to these patients…

Key Points Lay Summary

A comparison of symptomatology and histopathologic features in surgically resected colorectal endometriosis

A comparison of symptomatology and histopathologic features in surgically resected colorectal endometriosis By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Dr. Tschan and associates from Feldrich Academic Teaching Hospital, Austria published their retrospective research on patients requiring colorectal surgical resection for endometriosis in European Journal of Medical Research. Bowel endometriosis requiring colorectal surgical resection causes important morbidity. The rectum and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Antioxidant therapy for the endometriosis pain

Antioxidant therapy for the endometriosis pain By Selma Oransay

Ts the protective defense mechanism of cells, hence the destruction of balance between oxidants and antioxidants in our body is called "redox imbalance".  The major oxidants are reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are involved in multiple cellular processes by physiologically…

Key Points Lay Summary

Analysis of women with endometriosis-related pain before the multidisciplinary endometriosis care management

Analysis of women with endometriosis-related pain before the multidisciplinary endometriosis care management By Irem Onur

Endometriosis patients are generally treated by a single provider and they frequently report dissatisfaction with care. To decrease diagnostic delays, improve pain management, and promote patient satisfaction, multidisciplinary endometriosis centers emerged. But, baseline data assessing the efficacy of the multidisciplinary…

Key Points Lay Summary

KEYNOTE: Excision Without Mutilation: It’s Possible! -  Arnaud Wattiez, MD

KEYNOTE: Excision Without Mutilation: It’s Possible! -  Arnaud Wattiez, MD By Özge Özkaya

In his keynote lecture, Dr. Wattiez talks about the pros and cons of endometriosis surgery and the importance of tailoring endometriosis surgery to individual patients.  “Endometriosis is a disease that degrades patient’s wellbeing," Dr. Wattiez says and gives some examples…

Key Points Lay Summary

Exploring the Role of Neuropathy in Re-Operative Endometriosis - Marc Possover, MD, PhD

Exploring the Role of Neuropathy in Re-Operative Endometriosis - Marc Possover, MD, PhD By Özge Özkaya

Prof. Possover starts his presentation by summarizing the possible cause of pelvic neuropathy following endometriosis surgery. Pelvic neuropathy is the damage or dysfunction of the pelvic nerve. Prof. Possover explained that this could either be due to incomplete surgery, disease…

Key Points Lay Summary

Exploring Pelvic Pain: Deep to Ischial Spine Including Pre-Sacral Roots - A. Taner Usta, MD

Exploring Pelvic Pain: Deep to Ischial Spine Including Pre-Sacral Roots - A. Taner Usta, MD By Irem Onur

Chronic pelvic pain is defined as pain in the pelvic area that lasts for 6 months or longer and results in functional or psychological disability or requires intervention and treatment by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. There are…

Key Points Lay Summary

Does hysterectomy bring a total relief in patients with endometriosis?

Does hysterectomy bring a total relief in patients with endometriosis? By Bahar Yuksel

There is a common belief that hysterectomy is the last option to relieve the pain in patients with endometriosis by stopping the production of menstrual material. The study entitled "Impact of hysterectomy on analgesic, psychoactive and neuroactive drug use in…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis and chronic opioid use

Endometriosis and chronic opioid use By Selma Oransay

The members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have declared that gynecologists prescribe opioids after laparoscopic hysterectomy, or for relieving endometriosis pain, although guidelines are not available for when or how to use opioids for the treatment of endometriosis-associated…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain in Endometriosis

Pain in Endometriosis By Dr. Youngran Park

Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating condition characterized by chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and infertility. It affects approximately 10% of women globally and more than 60% of women diagnosed with endometriosis report CPP. However, the mechanisms underlying the associated pain…

Key Points Lay Summary

Adolescent endometriosis: Diagnostic clues?

Adolescent endometriosis: Diagnostic clues? By Irem Onur

The rates of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescents showing endometriosis signs on ultrasound are significantly higher compared to those without. This is according to a retrospective observational study recently published in the journal "Fertility and Sterility". The…

Key Points Lay Summary

CA125 do not correlate with pain and its severity among adolescents

CA125 do not correlate with pain and its severity among adolescents By Ellen Tumimbang

Cancer antigen 125 (CA125) is a high molecular weight glycoprotein expressed in tissue derived from the coelomic and Mullerian epithelia including the uterus endometrium. Previous studies reported that CA125 is the most studied endometriosis marker. Women with endometriosis experienced different…

Key Points Lay Summary

It is time for non-invasive tests for peritoneal endometriosis diagnosis

It is time for non-invasive tests for peritoneal endometriosis diagnosis By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Maria Szubert with colleagues from Lodz Medical University, Poland, investigated the possibility of potential diagnostic biomarkers in the eutopic endometrial tissue from peritoneal endometriosis patients and published their results in the "Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction". Currently, diagnostic…

Key Points Lay Summary

Fallopian tube endometriosis

Fallopian tube endometriosis By Bahar Yuksel

Endometriosis affects various tissues including pelvic and extra-pelvic organs. Fallopian tube endometriosis is not a widely studied topic in endometriosis, hence the real incidence is unknown as not all studies evaluate microscopically diagnosed Fallopian tube endometriosis. In the retrospective database…

Key Points Lay Summary

Body mass index, the incidence of endometriosis and the severity of dysmenorrhoea

Body mass index, the incidence of endometriosis and the severity of dysmenorrhoea By Timur Seckin

According to a case-control study conducted by researchers from China, there is no association between body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of endometriosis. This finding contrasts with the conventional knowledge that low BMI is a risk factor for endometriosis.…

Key Points Lay Summary

The peculiarity of adolescent endometriosis

The peculiarity of adolescent endometriosis By Selma Oransay

Recent studies showed the prevalence of endometriosis in adolescents with chronic cyclic or acyclic pelvic pain is about 60-70%. Moreover, all stages of endometriosis, including deeply infiltrating endometriosis can be found in this population. Gubbels et al. from the Department…

Key Points Lay Summary

The intensity of pelvic pain is higher in endometriosis patients

The intensity of pelvic pain is higher in endometriosis patients By Irem Onur

Silva  J.B. et al., researchers from Brazil, conducted a case-control study to determine the intensity of clinical pain, the average body composition, and the anthropometric markers including the body mass index, the perimeters (waist, abdomen, hip), and the percentage of…

Key Points Lay Summary

Sexual Quality of Life in Women With Endometriosis

Sexual Quality of Life in Women With Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Painful intercourse, more severe period pain, worse health-related quality of life, and unemployment are all associated with worse sexual quality of life in women with endometriosis. This is according to a Dutch study published in the scientific journal Sexual Medicine.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain and Quality of Life Following Surgical Treatment for Endometriosis

Pain and Quality of Life Following Surgical Treatment for Endometriosis By Ellen Tumimbang

Currently, laparoscopy is the preferred approach as a surgical treatment of endometriosis. Many studies have shown the effectiveness of laparoscopic surgery to reduce the painful symptoms and improve the quality of life for patients with endometriosis in the short term…

Key Points Lay Summary

Colorectal Deep Endometriosis Resection and Potential Complications

Colorectal 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

Factors affecting the quality of life of women with endometriosis

Factors affecting the quality of life of women with endometriosis By Timur Seckin

Results from a new study suggest that the quality of life of women with endometriosis is significantly affected by their confidence to manage pain and their belief in the evolution of their condition. In this study, led by Rees M. et…

Key Points Lay Summary

New Rat Model of Endometriosis Could Help Researchers Develop New Treatments for the Condition

New Rat Model of Endometriosis Could Help Researchers Develop New Treatments for the Condition By Özge Özkaya

Researchers in Belgium developed a new rat model of endometriosis. The animals showed signs of ongoing pain meaning that the model could provide a tool for researchers to develop potential new ways to treat the different symptoms of the condition…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Impact of Painful Sex on the Physical and Mental Wellbeing of Adolescent and Young Adult Women

The Impact of Painful Sex on the Physical and Mental Wellbeing of Adolescent and Young Adult Women By Özge Özkaya

Clinicians should ask adolescents and young women about painful sex, not just talk about contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. This is because painful sexual intercourse could have a negative impact on relationships and peer engagement, which is…

Key Points Lay Summary

Immune cells and endometriosis pain

Immune cells and endometriosis pain By Dr. Youngran Park

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder in women. This disease leads to dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and infertility. The immune reaction is one of the most widely accepted pathologies of endometriosis. Estrogen dysfunction stimulates immune cells in the peritoneal cavity affecting…

Key Points Lay Summary

Hormone Therapy Before Endometriosis Surgery

Hormone Therapy Before Endometriosis Surgery By Yu Yu

Hormonal therapy can be effective for endometriosis, although laparoscopic surgery is required for the frequent drug-resistant symptoms. Laparoscopic surgery can markedly improve endometriosis-associated pain. The administration of GnRH agonist prior to endometriosis laparoscopic surgery may be beneficial to improve surgical…

Key Points Lay Summary

A New Treatment Approach for Endometriosis?

A New Treatment Approach for Endometriosis? By Özge Özkaya

A new approach may be effective at relieving pain associated with endometriosis according to a study published in the PM&R Journal. The new technique may also improve “overall pelvic function, particularly in relation to intercourse, working, and sleeping,” according to the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Suggested remedies for endometriosis patients during coronavirus pandemic

Suggested remedies for endometriosis patients during coronavirus pandemic By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

The pandemic of COVID-19 continues to have important effects on endometriosis patients worldwide. Many health care facilities stopped providing surgical management and outpatient appointments are canceled or postponed. Dr. Leonardi from Australia and associates from several countries published their proposals…

Key Points Lay Summary

Hysterectomy as a choise of chronic pelvic pain relief in endometriotic women.

Hysterectomy as a choise of chronic pelvic pain relief in endometriotic women. By Selma Oransay

Sandstrom et al. from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Umea University, Sweden, found a significant and long-lasting reduction in pain symptoms after hysterectomy among women with confirmed endometriosis and recently published their results in "BJOG". The authors performed…

Key Points Lay Summary

Adolescent dysmenorrhea diagnosis and management

Adolescent dysmenorrhea diagnosis and management By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is usually diagnosed in reproductive-aged women. However, recent literature proved that clinical symptoms of endometriosis are also seen the adolescent girls and young women. Dysmenorrhea, the most common gynecologic complaint among this age group, can develop due to endometriosis.…

Key Points Lay Summary

The effect of endometriosis on the quality of life

The effect of endometriosis on the quality of life By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis, the disease defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal tissue outside the uterine cavity, can be diagnosed in the reproductive-aged women with an incidence of 7-15%. However, endometriosis is observed in women with chronic pelvic pain syndrome…

Key Points Lay Summary

Diagnosing Deep Endometriosis Using Transvaginal Elastosonography

Diagnosing Deep Endometriosis Using Transvaginal Elastosonography By Murat Osman

Deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is an advanced form of endometriosis that causes significant morbidity to a large number of women. Early detection of endometriosis is imperative for early treatment and improved outcomes for these patients. Currently, transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and magnetic…

Key Points Lay Summary

Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and Treatment Recommendations

Racial Bias in Pain Assessment and Treatment Recommendations By Deniz Kocas

This study, published by Hoffmann et al. in the April 2016 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites are associated with the perception that black people feel less pain than do white…

Key Points Lay Summary

Opioids use in women with endometriosis, what does it tell us?

Opioids use in women with endometriosis, what does it tell us? By Yu Yu

Endometriosis is a debilitating disease that can cause many painful symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal pain, and sacral or low back pain. More than half of women diagnosed with endometriosis suffer from chronic pelvic pain.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Case-control study to develop a questionnaire for early diagnosis of endometriosis

Case-control study to develop a questionnaire for early diagnosis of endometriosis By Nadire Duru

Endometriosis, which affects 5–10% of women of reproductive age, is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, associated with several discomforts such as pelvic pain, menstrual disorders, and infertility. Ultrasound evaluation…

Key Points Lay Summary

The predictors for sexual dysfunction in infertile women with endometriosis

The predictors for sexual dysfunction in infertile women with endometriosis By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is a disease defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal tissue outside the uterine cavity. Its incidence ranges up to 10% of reproductive-aged women. The most common symptoms in these women are chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Neglected needs of endometriosis and infertility patients during COVID-19 pandemic

Neglected needs of endometriosis and infertility patients during COVID-19 pandemic By Timur Seckin

With the global outbreak of the COVID-19, hospitals canceled surgeries and people are afraid of going to hospitals. However, chronic diseases still need to be managed. Rowe H. and Quinlivan J., researchers from Australia, pointed out the neglected needs of…

Key Points Lay Summary

Fatigue from the viewpoint of patients with endometriosis

Fatigue from the viewpoint of patients with endometriosis By Irem Onur

Fatigue, feeling spoonie, is documented as a significant symptom of endometriosis in many studies. Researchers from three different institutions dealing with reproductive health conducted individual interviews with patients reporting moderate to severe endometriosis-related pain to better understand endometriosis-related fatigue and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Postmenopausal endometriosis: Is it a rare phenomenon?

Postmenopausal endometriosis: Is it a rare phenomenon? By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis, the estrogen-dependent disease defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal tissue outside the uterine cavity, is generally diagnosed in the reproductive-aged women. However, recent literature proved that this disease can also be observed in the premenopausal and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Progressive nature of ovarian endometrioma

Progressive nature of ovarian endometrioma By Yu Yu

The effective management of endometriosis requires a proper understanding of how the condition progress as women age, especially for those women with early onset of endometriosis. Several studies have tried to characterize the evolution of endometriosis. Some of the key…

Key Points Lay Summary

The efficacy of combined hormonal contraception on pelvic pain in endometriosis patients

The efficacy of combined hormonal contraception on pelvic pain in endometriosis patients By Irem Onur

Chronic pelvic pain, which is experienced by more than 33% of endometriosis patients, constitutes a significant challenge for patients and physicians. A new study that appears in the journal Human Reproduction Open has explored the prevalence of endometriosis patients with a history…

Key Points Lay Summary

Non-hormonal chemicals for endometriosis related pain reduction

Non-hormonal chemicals for endometriosis related pain reduction By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

Loi and colleagues conducted a clinical prospective study at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cagliari, Italy, and published in the journal "International Journal of Women’s Health".  Formation of adhesions and/or interference with the reproductive process endometriosis, severe…

Key Points Lay Summary

Can Controlled Trials Help Surgeons Decide on Best Way to Treat Endometriosis-Associated Pain?

Can Controlled Trials Help Surgeons Decide on Best Way to Treat Endometriosis-Associated Pain? By Özge Özkaya

It may not be realistic to base the decision on the best way to surgically treat pain in a woman with endometriosis on the results of surgical randomized controlled trials. This is according to a study by researchers at the…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Relationship Between Dyspareunia and Infertility in Endometriosis

The Relationship Between Dyspareunia and Infertility in Endometriosis By Selma Oransay

Wahl et al. from the Center of Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis British Columbia Women's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada studied with endometriotic patients suffering from dyspareunia who were referred to their center and built a cross-sectional study to investigate the relations between…

Key Points Lay Summary

Clinical Evaluation of Endometriosis-Associated Pain

Clinical Evaluation of Endometriosis-Associated Pain By Nadire Duru

Endometriosis has a noteworthy impact on the quality of life of the patients diagnosed with it since it is associated with unpleasant conditions such as endometriosis-associated pain. The diagnosis of endometriosis is not always straightforward because of the varying symptoms…

Key Points Lay Summary

Understanding endocannabinoid system in endometriosis

Understanding endocannabinoid system in endometriosis By Yu Yu

Endocannabinoids and their receptors are expressed throughout the body but have only been recently studied in depth since endocannabinoids were being discovered in 1992. In the female reproductive system, the cannabinoid receptor is expressed in the endometrium, the myometrium, the…

Key Points Lay Summary

When to do - and when not to do surgery for endometriosis

When to do - and when not to do surgery for endometriosis By Dr. Youngran Park

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disorder. It was estimated to affect about 176 million women in the world and usually causes pelvic pain and infertility. Unfortunately, the current understanding of this disease is very limited. Though there are many remaining questions,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Surgery and the endometriosis associated-pain: A systematic review

Surgery and the endometriosis associated-pain: A systematic review By Selma Oransay

The surgical approach for pelvic pain-related to endometriosis depends on the stage and the type of the endometriotic lesion and ranging from ablation and the excision of the lesions to radical surgery as hysterectomy with removal of ovaries and presacral…

Key Points Lay Summary

Cannabis usage among Australian women with endometriosis

Cannabis usage among Australian women with endometriosis By Irem Onur

Sinclair J. et al., a group of researchers from Australia, conducted a cross-sectional online survey to determine the prevalence, tolerability, and self-reported effectiveness of cannabis in women with endometriosis. This study included 484 women with complete responses. Of all women,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Recurrent endometriosis is a real challenge both for the patients and clinicians

Recurrent endometriosis is a real challenge both for the patients and clinicians By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial stromal and glandular cells outside the uterine cavity. Current medical and surgical treatment options have several limitations including the side effects, costs, risk of recurrence, effects on conception capability. Recurrence is a…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis of the Appendix

Endometriosis of the Appendix By Timur Seckin

Endometriosis of the gastrointestinal tract is infrequent, and it rarely involves the appendix. A group of researchers from the United States of America reported a case of a 50-year-old postmenopausal woman with endometriosis in the vermiform appendix presenting as acute…

Key Points Lay Summary

How Long Does it Take to Be Diagnosed with Endometriosis?

How Long Does it Take to Be Diagnosed with Endometriosis? By Özge Özkaya

It takes a median of eight years to reach a diagnosis of endometriosis from when the symptoms of the condition first appear confirmed a new British study. Interestingly, it seems that the earlier the symptoms appear, the later the disease…

Key Points Lay Summary

Patients preferences for the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain

Patients preferences for the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is defined as the location of endometrial stroma and glands outside the uterine cavity. The most common presenting complaints are mainly dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility, most of which relate to the menstrual period. Those women affected…

Key Points Lay Summary

Clinical trial for the use of oral lactobacillus on endometriosis pain severity

Clinical trial for the use of oral lactobacillus on endometriosis pain severity By Yu Yu

The standard treatment of endometriosis consists of surgery and hormonal based treatment. There is evidence for the efficacy of these types of treatment, although their side effects remain a critical consideration for women. Based on molecular studies, changes in the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis that involves the nerves: how Radiologists can help

Endometriosis that involves the nerves: how Radiologists can help By Murat Osman

Endometriosis is a disease with variable clinical symptoms. While rare, nerve involvement by endometriosis may cause neurologic symptoms such as pelvic pain, muscle weakness, bowel and bladder incontinence, and paraplegia depending on the specific nerve involved. Thus, abdominal radiologists should…

Key Points Lay Summary

Botox as a promising treatment for chronic pelvic pain in endometriosis

Botox as a promising treatment for chronic pelvic pain in endometriosis By Irem Onur

Botulinum toxin (Botox) for treating chronic pelvic pain specifically addressing women with endometriosis has been studied for the first time by Tandon et al., from Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Their paper has recently been published in the journal Regional Anesthesia &…

Key Points Lay Summary

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Endometriosis: Comorbid Conditions

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Endometriosis: Comorbid Conditions By Irem Onur

In the study of Dr. Boneva et al., from Atlanta, GA, the United States which has recently been published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics evaluated the impact of endometriosis on the health of women with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The authors compared…

Key Points Lay Summary

A study about adnexial torsion doubts in patients with endometriosis.

A  study about adnexial torsion doubts in patients with endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Endometrioma is the presence of endometriosis cysts in the ovary, and is one of the most common forms of endometriosis, with unknown pathophysiology. Adnexal torsion results in twisting ovarian tissues resulting in a decreased blood flow. The causes for adnexal torsion due…

Key Points Lay Summary

Patients with Pelvic Pain Most Likely to Benefit from Endometriosis Surgery

Patients with Pelvic Pain Most Likely to Benefit from Endometriosis Surgery By Özge Özkaya

Women who experience higher levels of pain are more likely to show improvement in their quality of life (QoL) following endometriosis surgery, according to a study published in The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. Chronic pelvic pain seems to be…

Key Points Lay Summary

The association of significant hemoperitoneum (blood in the abdominal cavity) and deep pelvic endometriosis

The association of significant hemoperitoneum (blood in the abdominal cavity) and deep pelvic endometriosis By Irem Onur

 Although there are several theories to explain the etiology of deep endometriosis, the cause is unknown and there are currently no effective strategies to prevent its development. Bean E. et al., from University College London Hospital, UK,  observed that some…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pathophysiology of peritoneal endometriosis pain.

Pathophysiology of peritoneal endometriosis pain. By Serdar Balci

This article is an invited editorial by Ferrero S et.al. from IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy, published in the Annals of Translational Medicine. The authors describe the pathophysiology and underlying mechanisms of pain in peritoneal endometriosis with reference to the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Behavioral Symptoms in an Animal Model of Endometriosis

Behavioral Symptoms in an Animal Model of Endometriosis By Yu Yu

Recent studies suggest that there is a relationship between endometriosis and some behavioral symptoms. Prolonged pelvic pain and the other endometriosis symptoms can often affect psychological and social functioning, resulting in issues with social relationships, sexuality, and even mental health.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Proposed algorithm for a clinical diagnosis of endometriosis.

Proposed algorithm for a clinical diagnosis of endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

This recently published article in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology is about the challenge of diagnosing endometriosis, its impact on women's daily life and authored by Agarwal et al. from The University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. Authors called attention…

Key Points Lay Summary

The coexistence deep infiltrating endometriosis and fibromyalgia

The coexistence deep infiltrating endometriosis and fibromyalgia By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal cells outside the uterine cavity. The main symptoms of endometriosis which are dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain impair the quality of life of these women. This disease may…

Key Points Lay Summary

Preoperative factors to predict unresponsiveness in women undergoing endometriosis surgery

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

Nutraceuticals may help for endometriosis pain

Nutraceuticals may help for endometriosis pain By Nasuhi Engin Aydin

 Dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain occur in endometriosis patients in a significant percentage. Anti-inflammatory medications and lifestyle changes including diet form the integrated approach in this regard. However, the medications can be used only for the short term. Natural substances with anti-inflammatory…

Key Points Lay Summary

Building an ultrasonographic database for superficial endometriosis.

Building an ultrasonographic database for superficial endometriosis. By Selma Oransay

Chowdary et al. from University of Auckland, Australia, recently published a retrospective, small group study in Australian New Zeland Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to demonstrate ultrasonographic findings of mild endometriosis patients with pelvic pain are associated with their laparoscopic diagnosis.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Assistive Reproduction a Suitable Option for the Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Infertility

Assistive Reproduction a Suitable Option for the Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Infertility By Özge Özkaya

Assistive reproductive techniques do not lead to a worsening in quality of life and only cause a slight worsening of pelvic pain, according to a study published in the scientific journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. This is the case…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women with Persistent Pelvic Pain Have a Lower Pain Threshold

Women with Persistent Pelvic Pain Have a Lower Pain Threshold By Özge Özkaya

Women with persistent pelvic pain, whether this is caused by endometriosis or other reason, have a significantly reduced pain threshold compared to women without persistent pelvic pain. This is according to a study by researchers in Sweden, which was published…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis and female pelvic pain in all aspects

Endometriosis and female pelvic pain in all aspects By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal tissue outside the uterine cavity. The prevalence of the disease ranges between 6-10% in reproductive-aged women. However, endometriosis is more frequently encountered in women with chronic pelvic pain and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Surgical techniques for rectosigmoid endometriosis, and functional outcomes

Surgical techniques for rectosigmoid endometriosis, and functional outcomes By Hale Goksever Celik

Rectosigmoid endometriosis is defined as the infiltration of bowel wall with the endometrial-like glands and stroma, reaching at least the muscular layer. Rectosigmoid endometriosis is encountered in approximately 8-12% of patients with a diagnosis of endometriosis. The most commonly involved…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain Education or Cognitive Therapy Could Help Women with Endometriosis

Pain Education or Cognitive Therapy Could Help Women with Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Women with endometriosis have a significantly lower pain tolerance regardless of the intensity of the pain they experience or the severity of their disease, according to a study published in the scientific journal Fertility and Sterility.  Although pain is the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis-associated pain control by contraceptive implant or intrauterine system

Endometriosis-associated pain control by contraceptive implant or intrauterine system By Hale Goksever Celik

Endometriosis is defined as the localization of endometrial glandular and stromal cells outside the uterine cavity. The most common symptoms are dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain, all of which affect the quality of women’s lives. Several studies investigating the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Sexual distress, metacognitive beliefs, and  endometriosis

Sexual distress, metacognitive beliefs, and  endometriosis By Deniz Kocas

In this study, researchers from the University of Bergamo in Italy investigated the link between sexual distress and psychological and cognitive factors in women with endometriosis. Compared to the general female population, women with endometriosis have a nine-fold increased risk…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pelvic pain, congenital genital tract anomalies and endometriosis

Pelvic pain, congenital genital tract anomalies and endometriosis By Hale Goksever Celik

Any failure during development and differentiation of female genital tract results in congenital tract anomalies. The origin of the hymen is the union of the caudal portion of the paramesonephric ducts and the urogenital sinus. It functions as a mechanical…

Key Points Lay Summary

What clinicians know about adenomyosis? Any association with severe endometriosis?

What clinicians know about adenomyosis? Any association with severe endometriosis? By Selma Oransay

Dior et al. from the Royal Women's Hospital in Parkville, Australia, designed a prospective study to assess the association between severity of endometriosis and sonographic evidence of adenomyosis (SEOA) in their recently published article appearing in The Journal of Minimally…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis: A review on anatomic principles and the management

Endometriosis: A review on anatomic principles and the management By Irem Onur

In the study of Alimi et al. which has been published in the journal Cureus, various aspects of endometriosis such as the pathophysiology, the anatomy, the pain mechanism, the perineural spread theory, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and imaging, infertility, unusual cases,…

Key Points Lay Summary

The use of Elagolix in Women with Liver and Kidney Impairments

The use of Elagolix in Women with Liver and Kidney Impairments By Özge Özkaya

Elagolix may be used in women with moderate liver impairment, when necessary, for up to six months at a dose of 150 mg a day, according to a study published in the scientific journal Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development. The…

Key Points Lay Summary

An overlooked symptom of endometriosis: Fatigue

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

The pain and its severity in deeply infiltrating endometriosis patients

The pain and its severity in deeply infiltrating endometriosis patients By Selma Oransay

Liang et al. from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China, recently published an interesting paper in the Journal of Pain Research, a prospective study to reveal the relationship between neurogenesis and other potential…

Key Points Lay Summary

The diagnosis and management of endometriosis in Korea

The diagnosis and management of endometriosis in Korea By Selma Oransay

The Korean Society of Endometriosis has scrutinized the present published literature of endometriosis in the domestic and international platform to provide new guidelines and the clinical management of the disease. The study was recently published in the journal "Obstetrics and Gynecology…

Key Points Lay Summary

Best endometriosis articles of the past year.

Best endometriosis articles of the past year.  By Selma Oransay

Dr.Stowall, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Methodist Hospital, Dallas, Texas, USA penned this letter and recently published it in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology to show his remarks of importance on four best publications of the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Will Getting Pregnant Make My Pain Go Away?

Will Getting Pregnant Make My Pain Go Away? By Özge Özkaya

Pregnancy can relieve the symptoms of endometriosis, according to a new study published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. However, for most women, the pain usually returns like in the case of hormonal therapy. This…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis, Pain and Quality of Life

Endometriosis, Pain and Quality of Life By Deniz Kocas

Although studies show that pain in endometriosis is associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL), details as to which pain symptoms contribute to such a decline have not been explored. For the first time in this study, researchers from…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis Surgery Reduces Pain and Improves Quality of Life

Endometriosis Surgery Reduces Pain and Improves Quality of Life By Özge Özkaya

Endometriosis surgery improves pelvic and sexual pain according to a study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. This improvement stays stable over time meaning that the benefits of surgery last for years. In order to assess the effect…

Key Points Lay Summary

Reduced pain and increased fertiliy rates after surgery for colorectal endometriosis

Reduced pain and increased fertiliy rates after surgery for colorectal endometriosis By Selma Oransay

This prospective cohort study which recently published in AOGS by Hudelist et al. from Oslo University, Norway is about their one hundred thirty-four laparoscopic operations of DIE cases performed between 2011 and  2016, in a tertiary center in Oslo. The…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometrioma and endometriosis

Endometrioma and endometriosis By Irem Onur

Exacoustos C. et al. published an article titled “The isolated ovarian endometrioma: a history between myth and reality” in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology in 2018. They aimed to examine the association between ovarian endometriomas detectable at the transvaginal ultrasound…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis in adolescents

Endometriosis in adolescents By Irem Onur

Dr. Mama S. T. from Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey, USA, recently has published his review on advances in the management of endometriosis in the adolescent in the journal “Current Opinion Obstetrics and Gynecology”. In adolescence, there is a…

Key Points Lay Summary

A Better Way to Diagnose Endometriosis?

A Better Way to Diagnose Endometriosis? By Özge Özkaya

Three proteins found in the blood and endometrial tissues could be used to determine the stage of endometriosis and the severity of painful periods according to a study published in the journal Current Medical Science. Evaluating the levels of these…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain and emotion regulation predict health-related quality of life

Pain and emotion regulation predict health-related quality of life By Deniz Kocas

Studies have established that pain in endometriosis is negatively correlated with HRQL and that endometriosis is associated with psychological problems, anxiety, depression, distress and poor coping ability. It has been observed that some mental conditions associated with endometriosis are modulated…

Key Points Lay Summary

FDA Approves Endometriosis Pain Treatment

FDA Approves Endometriosis Pain Treatment By Özge Özkaya

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new medication for the treatment of moderate to severe pain associated with endometriosis, making it the first treatment to be approved in 10 years. The decision was announced in the Journal…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women recommended laparoscopy for chronic pelvic pain

Women recommended laparoscopy for chronic pelvic pain By Irem Onur

Chronic pelvic pain is a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. It has many etiologies in many organ systems. Clinician and patient factors affect the management of chronic pelvic pain. Mirowska-Allen K.L. et al. have recently published an article titled, “The characteristics of…

Key Points Lay Summary

Complementary treatments for endometriosis symptoms: acupuncture, exercise, electrotherapy, or yoga?

Complementary treatments for endometriosis symptoms: acupuncture, exercise, electrotherapy, or yoga? By Yu Yu

Endometriosis is associated with debilitating symptoms in some women including dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, deep dyspareunia, dyschezia, and dysuria. There are a few therapeutic options to treat these symptoms; however, only a few studies have considered treating the pain symptoms…

Key Points Lay Summary

Comparing opioid and nonopioid therapy for chronic pain

Comparing opioid and nonopioid therapy for chronic pain By Deniz Kocas

Over the last few decades, North-America and Europe show continued increase in prescription rates of opioids. Evidence shows significant pain reduction with opioids in the short term compared to placebo, however whether opioids are superior to non-opioids even in the…

Key Points Lay Summary

Impact of coping strategies on quality of life of adolescents and young women with endometriosis.

Impact of coping strategies on quality of life of adolescents and young women with endometriosis. By Deniz Kocas

González-Echevarría et al. report in J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. that symptoms caused by endometriosis have been found to be associated with negative quality of life (QoL) in women with endometriosis and the type of coping strategies adopted by patients have been shown…

Key Points Lay Summary

Health-related quality of life in women with Endometriosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Health-related quality of life in women with Endometriosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis By Murat Osman

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is defined by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside of the uterus. Unfortunately, endometriosis continues to be a leading cause of chronic pelvic pain and long-term morbidity in women of reproductive age.…

Key Points Lay Summary

N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid and bromelain improved endometriosis-associated pelvic pain

N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid and bromelain improved endometriosis-associated pelvic pain By Yu Yu

Oxidative stress has been implicated in many processes that lead to the development and progression of endometriosis. Typically, women with endometriosis have to endure pelvic pain which negatively impacts their quality of life. Pelvic pain can be chronic and related…

Key Points Lay Summary

Detecting endometriosis using peripheral blood

Detecting endometriosis using peripheral blood By Yu Yu

Laparoscopic visualization of endometriotic lesions with histological confirmation is the gold standard for the diagnosis of endometriosis. However, this diagnostic procedure, due to the need for laparoscopy and variability of disease/symptoms, can have a major delay up to 8-10 years…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain catastrophizing, perceived injustice, and pain intensity impair life satisfaction

Pain catastrophizing, perceived injustice, and pain intensity impair life satisfaction By Deniz Kocas

Cognitive appraisals have been shown to have an effect on the experience of pain. Notably, perceived injustice and pain catastrophizing have been shown to play a role, but are rarely examined together. In addition, variability in appraisal processes has been…

Key Points Lay Summary

Alternative Solutions: Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Endometriosis Pain

Alternative Solutions: Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Endometriosis Pain By Kasthuri Nair

Bi and Xie, researchers from The Yan’an People’s Hospital, recently published the results of their retrospective study titled “Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation for endometriosis-associated pain” in Medicine. The study hoped to elucidate the effects of using a complementary and…

Key Points Lay Summary

Predictors of psychological distress

Predictors of psychological distress By Deniz Kocas

Studies have now established that endometriosis can negatively impact mental health and quality of life, however, some studies show that not all women with endometriosis are necessarily more distressed than healthy women. This suggests that individual differences may explain women’s’…

Key Points Lay Summary

Oral Contraceptives and Low-Cost Progestins to Reduce Endometriosis-Associated Pain

Oral Contraceptives and Low-Cost Progestins to Reduce Endometriosis-Associated Pain By Özge Özkaya

Most women with endometriosis-associated pain did not feel the need to use expensive progestin or undergo surgery. Instead, they were satisfied with a low-cost progestin to treat their symptoms. This is according to a study published in the journal Fertility…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain cognition and pain intensity are negatively associated with health-related quality of life

Pain cognition and pain intensity are negatively associated with health-related quality of life By Deniz Kocas

Pain is a personal experience and is different for every individual. Catastrophizing, fear of pain, and hypervigilance to pain are important factors that contribute to pain perception. These factors are described as pain cognition and refer to the negative appraisal…

Key Points Lay Summary

Contraceptives for the management of endometriosis pain

Contraceptives for the management of endometriosis pain By Murat Osman

Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disease that affects many women of reproductive age and is associated with significant morbidity. One of the treatment options for women with endometriosis is the use of oral contraceptives (OCPs) for pain management. However, its…

Key Points Lay Summary

Could Gabapentin Make my Pain Go Away?

Could Gabapentin Make my Pain Go Away? By Özge Özkaya

Gabapentin could effectively reduce endometriosis-associated pain, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pain Research. The study that was conducted in mice and endometriotic tissues from patients suggests that certain proteins present on the surface of cells…

Key Points Lay Summary

Potential Study: Can Omega-3 purified Fatty Acids Treat Endometriosis Pain?

Potential Study: Can Omega-3 purified Fatty Acids Treat Endometriosis Pain? By Kasthuri Nair

Abokhrais et al. published a paper titled “A pilot randomized double-blind controlled trial of the efficacy of purified fatty acids for the treatment of women with endometriosis-associated pain (PurFECT): study protocol” in Pilot and Feasibility Studies. The aforementioned authors are…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis in a Man as a Rare Source of Abdominal Pain

Endometriosis in a Man as a Rare Source of Abdominal Pain By Dr. Youngran Park

Endometriosis occurs when a tissue resembling endometrial glands and stroma grows in ectopic sites, commonly causing infertility and pain. Endometriosis has largely been found in women of reproductive age. However, in extremely rare cases, it is also found in men…

Key Points Lay Summary

Coping with vulvovaginal pain in intimate situations

Coping with vulvovaginal pain in intimate situations By Deniz Kocas

Chronic vulvovaginal pain has a serious impact on women’s lives, affecting daily activities including sexual activities. Avoiding sexual activity has been shown to be a central coping strategy in other pain populations and has also been seen in women with…

Key Points Lay Summary

Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis Impairs Sexual Function

Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis Impairs Sexual Function By Kasthuri Nair

Lima et al., a group of scientists from Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual in Brazil, recently published an article entitled “Female Sexual Function in Women with Suspected Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis” in Revista Brasileira De Ginecologia E Obstetricia. The paper analyzed…

Key Points Lay Summary

Thoracic Endometriosis Syndrome : A case report describing endometriosis involvement of the lung

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

Exercise can improve pelvic pain and posture associated with endometriosis

Exercise can improve pelvic pain and posture associated with endometriosis By Yu Yu

Nearly half of women affected by endometriosis have mild to severe chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Clinically, postural changes are frequently seen in CPP sufferers. These postural changes can include uneven positions, shortenings, antalgic postures, and tensions. Moreover, endometriosis is also…

Key Points Lay Summary

Treatment of Endometriosis in Adolescents

Treatment of Endometriosis in Adolescents By Özge Özkaya

Most women with endometriosis who have been treated with Lupron plus add back as adolescents felt the treatment was effective in reducing the pain caused by the condition, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent…

Key Points Lay Summary

Adolescents with Endometriosis are More Susceptible to Migraines

Adolescents with Endometriosis are More Susceptible to Migraines By Kasthuri Nair

Miller et al. recently published an article titled “The prevalence of migraines in adolescents with endometriosis” in Fertility and Sterility. The main purpose of the study was to determine if adolescents with endometriosis experience more migraines than those without endometriosis.…

Key Points Lay Summary

"New Pain Dairy" Could Help Better Evaluate the Impact of Endometriosis on Women’s Daily Lives

By Özge Özkaya

Researchers developed a new patient-reported endometriosis pain daily diary.  The diary can help evaluate endometriosis-related pain and the impacts this can have on patients' lives as well as be used in clinical trials to assess patients’ response to treatment. “The…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Long-Term Effect of Endometriosis

The Long-Term Effect of Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

Women with endometriosis have a decreased pain tolerance even after fertile age and therefore require long-term treatment and psychological support Endometriosis has a long-term effect on the pain tolerance of women, suggests a study published in The Journal of Pain.…

Key Points Lay Summary

An Unusual Case "Free Floating Omental Endometrioma"

An Unusual Case By Kasthuri Nair

Capaccione et al. published an article in Radiology Case Reports titled “Massive endometrioma presenting with dyspnea and abdominal symptoms.” This publication is centered around a particularly unique case report of a woman who was ultimately diagnosed with endometriosis. The patient…

Key Points Lay Summary

Does Endometriosis Cause Infertility?

Does Endometriosis Cause Infertility? By Özge Özkaya

Infertility may be related to the localization of endometriosis involvement according to a study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. This finding is in agreement with the results of previous studies and could help clinicians in their decision…

Key Points Lay Summary

Irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis.

Irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis. By Dr. Youngran Park

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and endometriosis are two diseases affecting a significant part of the female population, either together or individually, with remarkable consequences in the quality of life. Several studies suggest an epidemiological association between them. Their association may…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Challenging Path to Diagnosis

The Challenging Path to Diagnosis By Kasthuri Nair

Kallia O. Wright, a professor at Illinois College, recently published her essay titled “You have Endometriosis”: Making Menstruation Related Pain Legitimate in a Biomedical World” in Health Communication. This essay delineates the author’s experience with endometriosis. The author started experiencing…

Key Points Lay Summary

Switching to a Low-Cost Progestin May Help Reduce Endo Pain When Oral Contraceptives Won’t Work

Switching to a Low-Cost Progestin May Help Reduce Endo Pain When Oral Contraceptives Won’t Work By Özge Özkaya

The majority of women with endometriosis-associated pain were satisfied to have switched to a treatment with norethisterone acetate or NETA, a synthetic, orally active progestin, when their oral contraceptive was ineffective, found a study published in the journal Reproductive Sciences.…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis “Changes” the Brain

Endometriosis “Changes” the Brain By Özge Özkaya

Endometriosis changes the electrical properties of the brain as well as gene expression, according to a study by Yale researchers. These changes increase sensitivity to pain, anxiety, and depression. “While medications can be used to treat endometriosis directly, the effects…

Key Points Lay Summary

Laparoscopic Bowel Resection Can Be Beneficial Rectosigmoid Endometriosis

Laparoscopic Bowel Resection Can Be Beneficial Rectosigmoid Endometriosis By Kasthuri Nair

Riiskjær et al. recently published a paper titled “Pelvic Pain and Quality of Life Before and After Laparoscopic Bowel Resection for Rectosigmoid Endometriosis: A Prospective, Observational Study” in Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. This paper focuses on the effects…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Use of Resveratrol as an Adjuvant Treatment of Pain in Endometriosis

The Use of Resveratrol as an Adjuvant Treatment of Pain in Endometriosis By Dr. Youngran Park

Endometriosis is considered a predominantly estrogen-dependent disease, and therefore hormonal suppression might be an attractive medical approach to treat this disease and its symptoms. Resveratrol is a natural phytoestrogen synthesized by plants and has known to have side effects such…

Key Points Lay Summary

A Novel Questionnaire-based Approach for Assessing Endometriosis Pain

A Novel Questionnaire-based Approach for Assessing Endometriosis Pain By Kasthuri Nair

Fauconnier et al. recently published a paper in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction titled “A self-administered questionnaire to measure the painful symptoms of endometriosis: Results of a modified DELPHI survey of patients and physicians” that seeks to…

Key Points Lay Summary

Dienogest Use Over A Prolonged Period of Time

Dienogest Use Over A Prolonged Period of Time By Kasthuri Nair

There are not a lot of treatments on the market for endometriosis; however, Dienogest (DNG), a progestin that has high selective progesterone activity along with low androgenic activity, has been found to reduce endometriosis-associated pain. Lee et al. recently published…

Key Points Lay Summary

Stress affects endometriosis negatively

Stress affects endometriosis negatively By Demet Candaş Green

Stress contributes to many chronic health problems – endometriosis is one of them. Given that women with endometriosis are under more stress and pain, often with the added stress of infertility, it is important to understand the relationship between stress…

Key Points Lay Summary

Increased Period Pain in Endometriosis Is Linked to Estrogen

Increased Period Pain in Endometriosis Is Linked to Estrogen By Özge Özkaya

Researchers in China shed light on the mechanism of how the female sex hormone estrogen may be linked to increased period pain in women with endometriosis. A better understanding of the biological mechanism leading to pelvic pain in endometriosis could…

Key Points Lay Summary

A Combination Treatment of Psychotherapy With Somatosensory Stimulation for Pain Reduction

A Combination Treatment of Psychotherapy With Somatosensory Stimulation for Pain Reduction By Kasthuri Nair

Women suffering from endometriosis often cite pelvic pain, anxiety, and depression as some of the worst core symptoms experienced due to the disease; however, emerging research has shown these signs, specifically pelvic pain, may be influenced by psychological trauma. In…

Key Points Lay Summary

Effects of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain

Effects of acupuncture for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain By Murat Osman

Acupuncture has been seen to offer chronic pain relief most likely due to multiple effects including analgesia and anti-inflammatory changes. Current therapy for endometriosis includes pharmacological and surgical methods. Symptom relief using other supplementary therapies such as acupuncture has been…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis May Be Causing Women to Become More Sensitive to Pain

Endometriosis May Be Causing Women to Become More Sensitive to Pain By Özge Özkaya

Inflammation caused by endometriosis may be changing the way a woman perceives pain, found a new study published in the journal Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine.   According to Dr. Neziri Alban at University Hospital of Bern, Switzerland and the co-authors…

Key Points Lay Summary

A New VAS-based Diagnostic Tool for Interpreting Pain

A New VAS-based Diagnostic Tool for Interpreting Pain By Kasthuri Nair

The visual analog scale (VAS) is a diagnostic tool used by health care providers to evaluate chronic pain in women with endometriosis. In their publication titled “Minimal clinically important difference for pain on the VAS scale and the relation to…

Key Points Lay Summary

Pain Cognition Impacts Health Related Quality of Life in Women with Endometriosis

Pain Cognition Impacts Health Related Quality of Life in Women with Endometriosis By Özge Özkaya

The cognition of pain is an important factor influencing health-related quality of life in women with endometriosis, suggests a study published in the scientific journal Fertility and Sterility.   This finding is important because it can help doctors treat pain in…

Key Points Lay Summary

A New Treatment Time-Table for Controlling Endometriosis-Associated Pelvic Pain

A New Treatment Time-Table for Controlling Endometriosis-Associated Pelvic Pain By Kasthuri Nair

It is no secret that Endometriosis is an extremely painful disease. Unfortunately, science has yet to determine a treatment that can effectively treat the disease or the associated pain. In their paper titled “Ethinylestradiol 20 mg/drospirenone 3 mg in a…

Key Points Lay Summary

Is there any association between menstrual pain and ovarian cancer?

Is there any association between menstrual pain and ovarian cancer? By Yu Yu

Inflammation may be important in ovarian carcinogenesis. Epidemiological studies show that inflammatory conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease have been associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer, while regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has reduced associated…

Key Points Lay Summary

Cohort study on outcomes of laparoscopic endometriosis surgery

Cohort study on outcomes of laparoscopic endometriosis surgery By Yu Yu

Laparoscopic surgery followed by histological confirmation is considered a standard for diagnosis, staging, and treatment of endometriosis. Radical and conservative surgical approaches are often required for the removal of endometriotic lesions in the case of vaginal or rectal wall deep…

Key Points Lay Summary

Comprehensive review on the drug delivery options being used for endometriosis and uterine fibroids.

Comprehensive review on the drug delivery options being used for endometriosis and uterine fibroids. By Murat Osman

Both endometriosis and uterine fibroids (uterine leiomyomas) contribute to infertility, chronic pain, and dysmenorrhea across the world. Thus, drug delivery methods ranging from contraceptives to biochemical systems based on nanotechnology are currently being used and developed. Specifically, long-acting implantable contraceptives…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women with endometriosis are increasingly seeking alternative medical therapies for symptom relief

Women with endometriosis are increasingly seeking alternative medical therapies for symptom relief By Murat Osman

Cyclic premenstrual pain and discomfort (CPPD) encompasses a number of symptoms commonly experienced by many women including premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and is experienced by both women with and without endometriosis. CPPD includes physical and emotional symptoms associated with menstruation including…

Key Points Lay Summary

Severe Dyspareunia is Related with "Cul-de-sac" and "Uterosacral Ligament" Endometriosis

 Severe Dyspareunia is Related with By Murat Osman

Endometriosis and especially deep infiltrating endometriosis has been associated with an increased risk of severe dyspareunia. Studies reporting the anatomical sites associated with deep dyspareunia and the severity of pain, and the risk factors of these anatomic sites are incongruent;…

Key Points Lay Summary

Endometriosis : A Whole Body Disease

Endometriosis : A Whole Body Disease By Kasthuri Nair

Endometriosis is a disease that impacts multiple parts of an individual’s body. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine recently published a paper by Alderman III et al. entitled “The Systemic Effects of Endometriosis” explores the various comorbidities that can affect individuals suffering…

Key Points Lay Summary

Reduced vascularization in ovarian endometriomas associated with less pain

Reduced vascularization in ovarian endometriomas associated with less pain By Yu Yu

Angiogenesis, i.e., the development of new blood vessels is believed to play an important role in endometriosis pathogenesis and symptoms. Endometriosis is associated and requires neovascularization to proliferate, invade surrounding normal structure in order to establish an endometriotic lesion. Ovarian…

Key Points Lay Summary

Combo Therapy of Micronized palmitoylethanolamide/trans-polydatin for Endometriosis Pain

Combo Therapy of Micronized palmitoylethanolamide/trans-polydatin for Endometriosis Pain By Kasthuri Nair

Endometriosis is a painful illness and many researchers in the field work to offer women with the disease some form of respite from the suffering. Indraccolo, Indraccolo, and Mignini are three such researchers and they recently published a paper titled…

Key Points Lay Summary

Sexual Pain in Endometriosis

Sexual Pain in Endometriosis By Yu Yu

Pelvic pain during sexual intercourse (deep dyspareunia) is a major concern for women with endometriosis. As many as half of women with endometriosis experience deep dyspareunia and has been shown to have a detrimental impact on quality of life. The…

Key Points Lay Summary

Is it Estrogen that Regulates Endometriosis Pain?

Is it Estrogen that Regulates Endometriosis Pain? By Yu Yu

Endometriosis-associated pain is a debilitating condition; however, it is surprising that the perceived pain has no correlation to the endometriosis extent. The mechanism that causes the pain is also poorly understood. Nerve growth factor is enhanced in endometriosis and may increase…

Key Points Lay Summary

Dienogest for endometriosis pain in clinical practice

Dienogest for endometriosis pain in clinical practice By Yu Yu

Dienogest is a synthetic progestogen that has been marketed as a medical treatment for endometriosis. Previous randomized controlled clinical trials have shown that it is effective in women with endometriosis at different stages of the disease. Given its recent introduction,…

Key Points Lay Summary

Inhibition of key neurotransmitter could reduce endometriosis-related pain

Inhibition of key neurotransmitter could reduce endometriosis-related pain By Asli Bahadirli Talbott

This study published in the scientific journalMolecular MedicineReports[link] by Lian et al. from Shanghai, China, aims to explore the relationship between transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and endometriosis-associated pain. Pain is the most common symptom for women with…

Key Points Lay Summary

The Symptomatic Impact of Endometriosis

The Symptomatic Impact of Endometriosis By Kasthuri Nair

Endometriosis is a painful illness that affects the lives of many women around the world. A recent article published in Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology titled “The burden of endometriosis symptoms on health-related quality of life in women in…

Key Points Lay Summary

Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Pain with Elagolix, an Oral GnRH Antagonist.  

Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Pain with Elagolix, an Oral GnRH Antagonist.   By Yu Yu

Taylor et al. presented an exciting recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine. This article reported the results from a multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials of elagolix for the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain. As women with…

Key Points Lay Summary

Women with endometriosis suffer from anxiety and depression

Women with endometriosis suffer from anxiety and depression By Demet Candaş Green

Endometriosis is considered a disabling condition that may significantly affect social relationships, sexuality and mental health of patients. Women who suffer from endometriosis report high levels of anxiety and depression and other psychological disorders. In this review article, the authors…

Key Points Lay Summary

Patient-completed or symptom-based screening tools for endometriosis: a scoping review.

Patient-completed or symptom-based screening tools for endometriosis: a scoping review. By Karime Kalil Machado

Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women in reproductive age. Its clinical presentation is variable, and symptoms, such as chronic pelvic pain, may overlap with those of other benign conditions, making differential diagnosis challenging. Therefore, a patient-completed screening questionnaire could potentially…

Key Points Lay Summary

Does laparoscopic excision or laparoscopic ablation offer the best long-term pain relief from endometriosis?

Does laparoscopic excision or laparoscopic ablation offer the best long-term pain relief from endometriosis? By Murat Osman

This systematic and meta-analysis of several studies aimed to compile data regarding the reduction of dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain), dyschezia (difficult defecation), dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse), chronic pelvic pain and Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-30) score 2-12 months after treatment. Visual analog scale (VAS)…

Key Points Lay Summary

New Molecular Targets for the Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Pain

New Molecular Targets for the Treatment of Endometriosis-Associated Pain By Ezio Rosato

The study identifies potential new targets for alleviating chronic pelvic pain that afflicts many women with endometriosis. A new study published in the scientific journal Redox Biology shows that molecules called microRNAs could be a potential new target to combat…

Lay Summary

Elagolix (ABT-620) for endometriosis pain?

Elagolix (ABT-620) for endometriosis pain? By Yu Yu

Elagolix is an orally active gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist that has just recently completed Phase 3 clinical trial for endometriosis-associated pain (NCT01931670). The review article by Alessandro et al in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics summarized the current research findings on…

Key Points Lay Summary