Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Apr 24:S1043-2760(25)00056-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2025.03.011. Online ahead of print.

The interplay between endometriosis and obesity

Md Saidur Rahman  1 , Yunjeong Park  2 , Hossein Hosseinirad  1 , Jung-Ho Shin  3 , Jae-Wook Jeong  4
Affiliations
Review

The interplay between endometriosis and obesity

Md Saidur Rahman et al. Trends Endocrinol Metab. .

Abstract

Endometriosis, characterized by uterine-like tissue growth outside the uterus, is a complex disorder with significant clinical implications. This review explores how body composition - both low body mass index (BMI) and obesity - modulates endometriosis progression through metabolic, hormonal, and immune-inflammatory pathways. Obesity-driven leptin signaling emerges as a pivotal link, promoting systemic inflammation, angiogenesis, and lesion persistence via Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathways. Shared molecular mechanisms between endometriosis and obesity highlight opportunities for precision medicine and targeted therapies. By addressing leptin-driven pathways and metabolic dysfunction, we introduce innovative strategies, offering novel insights into the improved management of this multifaceted condition.

Keywords: BMI; body composition; endometriosis; leptin; obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.

References

    1. Wang Y et al. (2020) The Origin and Pathogenesis of Endometriosis. Annu Rev Pathol 15, 71–95. 10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012419-032654 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Signorile PG. et al. (2022) New Insights in Pathogenesis of Endometriosis. Front Med (Lausanne) 9, 879015. 10.3389/fmed.2022.879015 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bonavina G and Taylor HS (2022) Endometriosis-associated infertility: From pathophysiology to tailored treatment. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 13, 1020827. 10.3389/fendo.2022.1020827 - DOI
    1. Zondervan KT et al. (2020) Endometriosis. N Engl J Med 382, 1244–1256. 10.1056/NEJMra1810764 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Reis JL et al. (2022) Natural Killer Cell Receptors and Endometriosis: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci 24. 10.3390/ijms24010331 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources