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Review
. 2023 Sep-Oct;37(5):1922-1930.
doi: 10.21873/invivo.13288.

Pathogenesis of Endometriosis: Focus on Adenogenesis-related Factors

Pietro G Signorile  1 , Alfonso Baldi  2   3 , Rosa Viceconte  4 , Andrea Ronchi  5 , Marco Montella  5
Affiliations
Review

Pathogenesis of Endometriosis: Focus on Adenogenesis-related Factors

Pietro G Signorile et al. In Vivo. 2023 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Endometriosis can be defined as the presence of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity. It affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and causes infertility, chronic pain, and deterioration of the quality of life. Since the identification of the disease, various pathogenetic mechanisms have been proposed, such as retrograde menstruation, coelomic metaplasia, hormonal imbalance, stem cell involvement, and alterations in epigenetic regulation. However, the underlying pathogenesis of endometriosis remains inadequately understood. Elucidation of the precise mechanism of the development and progression of endometriosis is crucial for effective treatment. This review presents the major pathogenetic theories of endometriosis based on current research studies with a major focus on the potential role of uterine factors.

Keywords: Endometriosis; adenogenesis; endometrium; review; uterus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The Authors declare no conflicts of interest in relation to this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Histological example of endometriosis. A) Histology shows several endometrioid glandular structures in a highly cellulated stromal background (Hematoxylin and Eosin, 10× magnification, scale bar 200 μm). B-D) Immunohistochemical analysis shows diffuse positivity for estrogen receptor (B), and for progesterone receptor (C) while few glands appear negative for progesterone receptor (C - black star), the endometrioid stroma is confirmed by positivity for CD10 (D) (Immunostaining, 20× magnification, scale bar 100 μm).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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