Papers of the Week

Endometriosis is a complex gynecological disorder characterized by the ectopic growth of endometrial tissue. Symptoms of endometriosis are known to impair the quality of life of patients, among these symptoms are dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, and gastrointestinal (GI) issues. These GI issues are one of the common reasons for misdiagnosis with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a pain syndrome characterized by abdominal pain, painful bowel movements, diarrhea, and constipation, all of which are often present in endometriosis and persist even after treatment. Enteric glial cells (EGC) are known to play a role in pain associated with IBS, and reactive gliosis has been reported in patients with IBS, but the role of EGC in endometriosis has yet to be elucidated.