July 2006 Research on mice, published in Human Reproduction, has led a team from the Catholic University of Louvain to conclude that an overload of iron in the pelvic cavity, while not causing the condition, may make the lesions grow by promoting the proliferation of their epithelial (lining) cells. Belgian fertility experts believe this may […]

June 2006 Contrary to what has been suggested by some “cross-sectional” studies, red hair colour is not associated with a higher or lower risk of endometriosis, the results of a prospective study indicate. However, the association may be affected by fertility status. Previous reports have identified alterations in coagulation (clotting) and immune function among women […]

June 2006 IVF can be perceived as the last hope in achieving pregnancy, yet researchers at Stanford University have looked at patients with previous IVF failures who conceived following laparoscopic treatment for endometriosis. Out of 29 patients with prior IVF failures, 22 (76%) conceived following laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis, including non-IVF pregnancies and seven IVF […]

May 2006 Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, have concluded that the expression of inhibin/activin subunits in eutopic endometrium is altered in women with endometriosis, leading to higher levels of activin-A secretion by both glandular cells and stromal cells. Activin is a well-characterised growth and differentiation factor and an important inflammatory mediator. Activin is […]

May 2006 Researchers in Mexico have evaluated the antioxidant intake and the lipoperoxidation status in plasma and peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. They demonstrated that there was an inverse correlation with the pathology intensity depending on the antioxidant intake in women with endometriosis. As endometriosis severity intensifies there is less of an intake of […]

March 2006 Researchers in Australia suggest that small nerve fibres detected in the functional layer in all women with endometriosis may have important implications for understanding why pain occurs in these patients. Tokushige et al prepared histological sections of endometrial tissue from endometrial curettings and hysterectomies performed on women with endometriosis (n=25 and n=10, respectively) […]

February 2006 Researchers in Barcelona suggest that expression of class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA I) is significantly higher in endometrial samples from patients with endometriosis than in those from other people. In a cross sectional study, 32 patients who underwent an operation were diagnosed as having only endometriosis were enrolled, alongside a control group […]

February 2006 A Cochrane review has found that endometriosis patients who use gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists in the run-up to IVF have improved outcomes. In a systematic review of the existing literature, reviewers, led by Professor Hassan Sallam, from Alexandria University in Egypt, found that giving GnRH agonists to women with endometriosis for 3-6 months […]

November 2005 Scientists in Italy have demonstrated that low-dose norethindrone acetate could be considered an effective, tolerable, and inexpensive first-choice medical alternative to repeat surgery for treating symptomatic rectovaginal endometrioti lesions in patients who do not seek conception. In order to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of an oestrogen-progestogen combination versus low-dose norethindrone acetate, […]

November 2005 Women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis are less likely to fall pregnant and have a baby with the help of IVF than those with minimal-to-mild disease, researchers have shown, according to Finish researchers. “Women with endometriosis often need IVF to conceive—most women need several cycles of treatment,” note the researchers, led by Paula Kuivasaari from […]