Papers of the Week

Endometriosis is a chronic estrogen-dependent disease that afects one out of ten women worldwide leading to chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Despite decades of research endometriosis still represents a challenge for doctors and patients in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Current options for the appropriate pharmacotherapy in women with pain-related endometriosis are well described in the several other guidelines but high-quality evidence is not available for all. The medical treatment of endometriosis relies on hormonal medications that block menstruation in attempt to control pain and hopefully delay or avoid surgery. Thorough medical evaluation is mandatory to identify other causes of pelvic pain such as irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis and myofascial pain as well as rule out obstructive disease and suspicious adnexal masses. Drug choice should be individualized taking into consideration the side-effects profile as well as tolerability, costs, risks and benefits as one size does not fit all.As we gain more knowledge on the pathological cascade leading to endometriosis, the possibility of identifying specific agents which could block essential pathways and prevent disease progression and development increases.