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Endometriosis in menopause: a single institution experience

  • Reproductive Medicine
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Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to present the clinical characteristics of a series of postmenopausal women with endometriosis and to evaluate the preferential location, extension and histopathological features of the lesions.

Methods

We retrospectively examined the clinical records of 72 postmenopausal women with endometriosis who underwent surgery between January 1998 and December 2010.

Results

The median age of patients at the time of surgery was 58.5 years. Eleven patients (15.3 %) had previous history of endometriosis and five patients had previously undergone surgery for this reason. Only two patients included in the study were using hormone replacement therapy at the time of surgery. The most frequent location of endometriotic lesions was the ovary and among patients with endometriomas, 35 % (20/57) had different grades of metaplasia, hyperplasia, atypia and endometrioid carcinoma arising in endometriosis. The proportions of epithelium, stroma and hemorrhage in endometriotic lesions were higher in patients with concomitant endometrial or ovarian cancer.

Conclusions

Endometriosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of postmenopausal cystic lesions of the ovary. The administration of exogenous estrogen is not a prerequisite for the presence of endometriosis in postmenopausal women, and histological signs of functionally active lesions were also observed in the absence of exogenous hormone intake.

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Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, San Martino Hospital and University of Genoa, Largo R. Benzi 1, 16132, Genoa, Italy

    Matteo Morotti, Valentino Remorgida, Pier Luigi Venturini & Simone Ferrero

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  1. Matteo Morotti
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  2. Valentino Remorgida
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  3. Pier Luigi Venturini
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  4. Simone Ferrero
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Correspondence to Matteo Morotti.

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Morotti, M., Remorgida, V., Venturini, P.L. et al. Endometriosis in menopause: a single institution experience. Arch Gynecol Obstet 286, 1571–1575 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2473-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2473-5

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