title: Origins and Progression of Adolescent Endometriosis.
abstract: Accumulating evidence indicates that adolescent endometriosis is common and often severe. Here we explore the possibility that seeding of naive endometrial progenitor cells into the pelvic cavity early in life, that is, at the time of neonatal uterine bleeding or soon after the menarche, results in more florid and progressive disease, characterized by highly angiogenic implants, recurrent ectopic bleeding, and endometrioma formation. We discuss the potential intergenerational risk factors associated with early-onset endometriosis and explore the molecular drivers of disease progression. Taken together, the available data suggest that an increased focus on early-life events may help to identify young women at risk of severe, progressive endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Leuven Institute for Fertility and Embryology, Leuven, Belgium ivo.brosens@med.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brosens
authors.affiliation: The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Gargett
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Shanghai Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Sun-Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Leuven Institute for Fertility and Embryology, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puttemans
authors.affiliation: Leuven Institute for Fertility and Embryology, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gordts
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Brosens
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Urology, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benagiano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology
keywords: adolescent endometriosis; endometrioma; progression; stem cells