Researchers discovered that an enzyme, called telomerase, is released by cells in the inner lining of the womb during the latter stages of the menstrual cycle in women who are affected by endometriosis. Telomerase is not commonly found in the cells that make up the body, but is uniquely found in the inner lining of the womb and in some special cells, such as sperm and egg cells. The enzyme is also found in cancer cells and is thought to be responsible for replicating DNA sequences during cell division in chromosomes.

Read more »

The first population-based study of pelvic pain in Australia has found that general practitioners need to be aware of the high prevalence of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in women and be ready to discuss the issue with patients, particularly in relation to underlying issues of anxiety and depression.

The research, which is published in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, also found correlations between CPP and other health conditions and women’s sexual health and reproductive histories.

Professor Marian Pitts, Director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University, and her co-authors analysed data from nearly 2,000 Australian women aged 16 - 49 years who were still menstruating and sexually active.

A key finding of their study was the high prevalence of pelvic pain, with only one in four participants reporting no pelvic pain of any kind.

Read more »

Canberra schoolgirls will follow a new method - described as the first of its type - to identify those who suffer from a debilitating condition that can cause infertility.
Melissa Parker, of the Canberra Endometriosis Clinic, says work is under way on a “self-screening tool” - a checklist - that will soon be tested among teenage girls.

Health Minister Katy Gallagher said the ACT was “leading the world” in developing the approach, which could indicate whether young women had endometriosis.

The idea came after Ms Parker and gynaecologist Anne Sneddon studied menstrual disorders among more than 1000 females aged 16 to 18 years living in the ACT.

Read more »

Women treated with hysterectomy had significantly fewer postsurgical reoperations than women treated with “conservative” surgery, the team reports in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The failure rate was more than twofold higher with conservative local surgery in comparison with hysterectomy without removal of the ovaries. The failure rate was more than sixfold higher with conservative local surgery in comparison with hysterectomy with removal of the ovaries.

In comments to Reuters Health, Falcone said, “Endometriosis is a chronic disease with a high recurrence after laparoscopic surgery. We need better treatment.”

Among women who had local excision with ovarian preservation (at least one ovary was preserved), 79 percent were “reoperation-free” at 2 years. At 5 and 7 years, 53 percent and 45 percent, respectively, were reoperation-free.

Among women who had hysterectomy without ovary removal, the 2-, 5- and 7-year reoperation-free percentages were higher (96 percent, 87 percent, and 77 percent, respectively). Among women who underwent hysterectomy with removal of the ovaries, the reoperation-free percentages were 96 percent, 92 percent and 92 percent, respectively.

Read more »

The team concluded the following:

There is evidence to support the efficacy of aromatase inhibitors in reduction of pain, reduction of lesions, and improvement in quality of life for women with endometriosis, but adequately powered randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

There is insufficient evidence to support an adverse effect of aromatase inhibitors on bone density of the spine and hip in women with endometriosis treated with aromatase inhibitors.

Click here to read the full article.

A fertility specialist says his latest research underlines the “drastically successful” effects of a cheaper, non-invasive alternative to IVF.

A trial led by Auckland University expert Dr Neil Johnson found that nine out of 12 women who had their uterus bathed with lipiodol, or poppy seed oil, became pregnant. All the women had a history of infertility and endometriosis, a problem with the womb lining that affects up to a third of women struggling to conceive.

Johnson believes the oil helps embryos stick to the endometrium, the mucous membrane lining the uterus, boosting chances of it implanting. “It’s a good value, low-cost alternative to other therapies that are being offered, like IVF,” said the associate professor in obstetrics and gynaecology. “It has a drastically successful effect but there’s an amazing hesitancy of the medical profession to take it on.”

Details of the nine-month trial were revealed at the World Congress on Endometriosis in Melbourne in March.

Read more »

Now a one-of-a-kind study being done at the University of Utah zeroes in on some of those toxins and their affect on a woman’s reproductive system.

A lot has changed since the 50’s and 60’s. Plastic instead of glass, polluted water, pesticides and processed foods. Some of it may be harmful, some of it may be harmless, and hundreds of Utah women are willing to help find those answers.

First it was baby bottles now it’s water bottles and just about everything plastic.

Dr C. Matthew Petersen, the chair of the University of Utah’s Obstetrics and Gynecology department, says this study is just the beginning; others will likely follow that could eventually change the way we live.

“We’re recognizing that some of these chemicals in very low doses actually cause some problems that can result in endometriosis or could even result in other types of problems,” said Dr. C Matthew Petersen.

Read more »

Infertility physician Jan Friberg has begun using a simple blood test to diagnose early and mild- to -moderate cases of endometriosis in his patients, thus eliminating the need for invasive diagnostic laparoscopy or even a biopsy.

[...]Other gynecologists and fertility doctors have expressed interested in the new blood test, but it has not yet been accepted as a mainstream practice in the medical world. The test measures the levels of inflammatory protein interleukin-6 in the blood stream,

“If we see a patient has elevated interleukin-6, we are fairly convinced we don’t need to do a laparoscopy (what’s typically done to diagnose endometriosis),” said Friberg, founder of Friberg Medical Associates in Glencoe and Chicago. “Laparoscopy is not a particularly pleasant procedure so it is nicer to be able to do testing this way.”

Friberg decided to offer the test last winter based on studies like one published in October 2006 in England’s Oxford Journals, in which Spanish researchers concluded that a blood test confirming elevated levels of the inflammatory protein interleukin-6 is a reliable marker for early-stage endometriosis. Since endometriosis is a common factor in infertility, Friberg comes across the disease often.

“This will soon become a routine treatment for women with unexplained fertility,” Friberg said. [...]

Read more »

This diagnostic test may save women from having to undergo unnecessary surgery. Though there is not enough evidence yet of its reliability, it still looks promising. I hope more research will be put into this.

Researchers from France and Australia analysed the lifestyle and medical history of the women and found about 4000 of them had endometriosis, a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found in abnormal parts of the body like the abdominal cavity.

“We have demonstrated that women with a higher number of moles or freckles, or a greater susceptibility to sunburn, have a higher risk of endometriosis,” said researcher Marina Kvaskoff.

Skin or hair colour had no bearing on risk, she said.

“There seem to be some common genetic links between melanoma and endometriosis, but this needs to be further investigated,” Ms Kvaskoff said.

More risk factors have also been revealed at the international conference, with a study by the Queensland Institute of Medical Research suggesting underweight teenagers may be more at risk of the disease than their heavier peers.

Researchers could not explain the link, but believed hormonal influences rather than dietary or exercise patterns were at play.

Read more »

Here are some details of what topics will be covered in this event:

A major challenge in endometriosis continues to be the lack of funding for endometriosis research, the isolation of programs within countries, inadequate communications among centres, and ineffeciencies of research when information and data are not shared.

Two initiatives will be kicked off at the 10th World Congress on Endometriosis to address this shortfall by introducing a two-pronged global strategy for endometriosis research:

1. Building consensus for research priorities.

A satellite meeting will be held on Saturday 15 March 2008 in Melbourne (09.00-17.00) with an objective to develop a consensus statement outlining research priorities in the field of endometriosis.

This consensus will be published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal and will form the basis of a “check list” for each future world congress on endometriosis, where researchers can take stock of progress and evaluate current/new areas, which need attention and prioritisation.

2. Developing international collaborative research networks.

This global collaboration will ensure that:

• research is carried out in collaboration between international centres;
• data is shared;
• results are built upon;
• strict protocols are enforced to ensure that results are evidence based;
• results can be translated into viable treatments to provide a solution for those affected by endometriosis.

Proven international consensus and collaboration will enhance credibility whenever a researcher and/or centre apply for grants and are able to refer to scientifically approved research directions.

This workshop is the result of collaboration between the World Endometriosis Society and the World Endometriosis Research Foundation with support from Monash Institute of Medical Research.

For more information on this event, click here.