title: Endometriosis in adolescents is a hidden, progressive and severe disease that deserves attention, not just compassion.
abstract: Endometriosis in the adolescent has, in recent years, been discovered to be a challenging problem in gynaecology. Although the pain may start at a young age, even before the onset of menstruation, the diagnosis by laparoscopy is almost always postponed for several years, by which time destructive lesions have affected the tubo-ovarian structures and severely compromised fecundability. Several factors may play a role, but one important reason for this disease progression is likely to be the delay in diagnosis. Therefore, transvaginal ultrasounds and transvaginal access with a less invasive needle endoscopy are recommended for exploration of the pelvis, diagnosis of endometriosis and treatment at an early stage before severe lesions develop.
authors.affiliation: Leuven Institute for Fertility and Embryology, Leuven, Belgium. Ivo.brosens@med.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brosens
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gordts
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benagiano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004645:Empathy; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans
keywords: adolescence; adult; endometriosis; laparoscopy; pathogenesis