Pelvic endometriosis.

Abstract

The recent heightened interest in endometriosis has led to remarkable progress in the elucidation of the pathophysiology of this enigmatic disease. Presently, it is not clear why some individuals with endometriosis develop infertility and pelvic pain, whereas others with a similar degree of disease do not. Several tantalizing clues have been extracted from studies of the molecular pathogenesis, immunology, and biochemistry of endometriosis. Investigations are now under way to determine the specific relevance to infertility of macrophage aggregation; prostaglandin and related metabolite production by endometriotic lesions and macrophages; specific factors released by endometriosis that might directly impair ovum pick-up, fertilization, embryo transfer, or implantation; and ovulatory dysfunction including luteal phase deficiency and LUFS. There are probably a host of potential mechanisms of infertility in endometriosis; additional research should enable us to determine their regulatory features and to formulate effective clinical intervention. We now have a broader array of options for the treatment of endometriosis than ever before. However, most of the extant reported clinical experience consists of case reports and limited series of patients without the use of controls, follow-up intervals, and appropriate statistical analysis. The diverse course and presentation of the disease have limited our ability to develop a staging system that provides consistent scoring among different clinicians and appropriate relative emphasis on the various manifestations of the disease. Some additional resolution will be necessary to assess the relative contribution to infertility by fresh and recurrent lesions, endometriomas, and adhesions. These problems are now in sharp focus, and data should be available in the future giving us an accurate appraisal of the clinical effectiveness of danazol, gestrinone, GnRH analogues, conservative surgery, laparoscopic surgery including use of the laser, IVF-ET, and GIFT. Also, it is anticipated that potentially fertile patients with endometriosis might be identified so that they could avoid therapy altogether.