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Endometriosis: Does Surgery Lower Risk for Ovarian Cancer?

Endometriosis has been linked to ovarian cancer, especially the endometrioid and clear cell types. There are various theories about the origin of endometriosis. The retrograde menstruation theory is the most widely accepted, but endometriosis is also believed to be associated with chronic inflammation, which could serve as a link between endometriosis and cancer.

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Another Painful Period…Or A Problem? Understanding Endometriosis

EndometriosisFor some women, painful periods are a part of life. But many women experiencing painful periods do not know their pain is signaling a larger health issue.

Approximately 176 million women and girls worldwide are diagnosed with the chronic disease endometriosis. Many women do not know they have endometriosis because some can only be diagnosed through surgery.

In honor of National Endometriosis Awareness Month this March, we are seeking to empower and educate women on this disease.

The cause of endometriosis remains unknown, and a permanent cure may be difficult. Building awareness of this disease is critical in aiding effective diagnoses, pain management and infertility treatment for women.

What is endometriosis?

Every month during menstruation, a woman sheds the endometrial lining in her uterus. When the endometrium tissue normally found in the uterus grows outside the uterus or in other places of the body, it is known as endometriosis.

Each month, endometrial tissue continues to break down and shed as it would during a normal menstrual cycle. Endometrial tissue in other parts of the body follows the same pattern, causing period-like symptoms such as cramps and discomfort. Without the ability to drain through the uterus as it would during menstruation, the endometrial tissue is released into the body, causing pain, inflammation, and scar tissue. Read full article.

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The Unrecognized Pain Of Endometriosis

I was so moved by this interview with the extraordinary writer Hilary Mantel, particularly as she discussed her lifelong battle with endometriosis and the toll the condition has taken on her body and her life.

(It’s a condition that often strikes teenage girls who frequently are too shy or embarrassed to speak out about their pain, and so the illness can remain undiagnosed for years.)

Mantel tells Terry Gross that even as she suffered with the pain, doctors told her “it was all in my mind.” Read full article.

Photo credit:  Chris Boland

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Jacksonville Doctor Has a New Tool to Identify Endometriosis

Endometriosis occurs when bits of the uterus lining grow outside the uterus, at most extremes causing infertility, striking more than half a million women today. However according to ActionNewsJax.com, one man, Dr. Samuel Brown of Jacksonville Florida, made it his mission to find new ways to help his patients overcome this disease.

Dr. Brown is the first in the world to use a robot and fluorescent imaging to identify endometriosis and remove it. Read full article.

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ASRM 2012: Child abuse associated with slight increase in risk for endometriosis

Evidence from epidemiologic studies suggest that early trauma is associated with disease of the reproductive tract [1].  Research from Harvard University has shown that women who report child sexual and physical abuse have a 34% greater risk of being diagnosed with endometriosis in later life [2]. Read full article.

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Endometriosis Partnership Aims for Three Drug Candidates

Bayer Pharma is paying Evotec €12 million (about $15.4 million) up front as part of a five-year, multitarget partnership that aims to generate three clinical-stage drugs for treating endometriosis. Both firms will input potential targets and share early research work and the preclinical characterization of potential candidates. Bayer will then take over clinical development and commercialization activities.

Under terms of the deal Evotec could receive up to another €580 million (roughly $746 million) in preclinical, clinical, and sales milestones, plus royalties on net sales, dependent on which firm contributed the candidate to the collaboration. Read full article.