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Review
. 2021 Jun 1:13:525-537.
doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S306135. eCollection 2021.

Current Knowledge on Endometriosis Etiology: A Systematic Review of Literature

Lyudmila M Mikhaleva  1 , Victor E Radzinsky  2 , Mekan R Orazov  2 , Tatyana N Khovanskaya  1 , Anastasia V Sorokina  1 , Sergey A Mikhalev  3 , Snezhana V Volkova  2 , Victoria B Shustova  1 , Mikhail Y Sinelnikov  1
Affiliations
Review

Current Knowledge on Endometriosis Etiology: A Systematic Review of Literature

Lyudmila M Mikhaleva et al. Int J Womens Health. .

Abstract

Objective: To review the mechanisms of endometriosis development, including those related to epigenetic mutations, cellular dysregulation, inflammatory processes, and oxidative stress.

Methods: A systematic literature review regarding current aspects of endometriosis etiology, genesis and development was performed using the PubMed, Google Scholar, and eLibrary databases. Keywords included endometriosis, etiology, development, genesis, associations and mechanisms. A multilingual search was performed.

Results: Several mechanisms underline the pathophysiological pathways for endometriosis development. Epigenetic mutations, external and internal influences, and chronic conditions have a significant impact on endometriosis development, survival and regulation. Several historically valid theories on endometriosis development were discussed, as well as updated findings.

Conclusion: Despite recent advances, fundamental problems in understanding endometriosis remain unresolved. The identification of unknown circulating epithelial progenitors or stem cells that are responsible for epithelial growth in both the endometrium and endometriotic foci seems to be the next step in solving these questions.

Keywords: endometriosis etiology; endometriosis markers; endometriosis progression; genesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors reported no conflicts of interest for this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of epigenetic changes associated with endometriosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of aberrant estrogen synthesis pathological functional system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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