Identification of a very-high risk subgroup of localized endometrial carcinoma before surgery using circulating tumor DNA: a proof-of-concept study.

Objective: We aimed to study whether the detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may predict the risk of early relapse for patients with localized endometrial carcinoma.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection at Cochin University Hospital (2021-2023) for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2018 stage I to III endometrial carcinoma were prospectively included in a prospective biocollection cohort study. All patients had a plasma sample before surgery (EDTA collection tubes, 4-5 mL).

[Chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases and female fertility].

Chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRDs) are a group of diseases responsible for inflammatory joint pains and can affect young women with a desire to conceive. CIRDs can impact female fertility, although the exact effects are still not fully understood. Some studies report reduced fertility, particularly due to prolonged conception delays, which are related to multiple factors.

Adenomyosis: the missed disease.

Adenomyosis, a menstruation-related uterine disorder, refers to the presence of endometrial stroma and glands within the myometrium and is typically observed in reproductive-age women. The pathogenesis explaining the migration, persistence, proliferation and differentiation of ectopic endometrial cells includes a genetic and epigenetic background, an oestrogen/progesterone receptor imbalance and an inflammatory reaction driven by local immune dysfunction, along with fibrosis and neuroangiogenesis within the myometrium. In the past, it was thought that adenomyosis almost exclusively affected multiparous women after 40 years of age and the diagnosis was generally confirmed upon hysterectomy.

High serum estradiol levels on the day of frozen blastocyst transfer are associated with increased early miscarriage rates in artificial cycles using transdermal estrogens.

Study Question: Do serum estradiol (E2) levels on the day of frozen blastocyst transfer (FBT) affect pregnancy outcomes in hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) cycles using transdermal estrogens?

Summary Answer: E2 levels ≥313 pg/ml on the day of FBT are associated with increased early miscarriage rates (EMRs), but do not significantly impact the live birth rate (LBR).

What Is Known Already: E2 plays a crucial role in endometrial receptivity and placentation. The effect of serum E2 levels measured around the time of FBT in HRT cycles remains debated, with some studies indicating a negative impact of high E2 levels and others finding no significant difference.

[Patient satisfaction regarding hypnosis-assisted oocyte retrieval under local anesthesia].

Objective: To evaluate the satisfaction of patients accompanied by hypnosis during oocyte retrieval under local anesthesia.

Methods: This cohort study included patients undergoing oocyte retrieval under local anesthesia with hypnotic support provided either by a hypnotherapist or via a virtual reality headset between November 2022 and November 2023. A questionnaire was distributed after the procedure, assessing satisfaction with hypnosis for pain and anxiety management, as well as the experience of pain (visual analog scale) and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) during the procedure.

Systematic review on the DNA methylation role in endometriosis: current evidence and perspectives.

Background: Endometriosis appears to have a multilayered etiology, with genetic and epigenetic factors each contributing half of the pathogenesis. The molecular processes that underlie the onset of endometriosis are yet unclear, but it is assumed that an important contributor in the etiopathology of the disease is DNA methylation.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature regarding DNA methylation in endometriosis following PRISMA guidelines.

Clinical Characteristics of Women with Surgical Signs of Superficial Peritoneal Endometriosis but a Negative Histology: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of women with superficial peritoneal endometriosis (SUP) diagnosed by surgery and not confirmed by histology, compared with histologically proven SUP.

Design: This was a single-center, nested case-control study. Participants/Materials: Patients with a surgical report of SUP (n = 390), comprising a subgroup with histological confirmation of endometriosis (n = 245) and a subgroup without it (n = 145).

Birth defects reporting and the use of dydrogesterone: a disproportionality analysis from the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase).

Study Question: Is there an association between dydrogesterone exposure during early pregnancy and the reporting of birth defects?

Summary Answer: This observational analysis based on global safety data showed an increased reporting of birth defects, mainly hypospadias and congenital heart defects (CHD), in pregnancies exposed to dydrogesterone, especially when comparing to progesterone.

What Is Known Already: Intravaginal administration of progesterone is the standard of care to overcome luteal phase progesterone deficiency induced by ovarian stimulation in ART. In recent years, randomized controlled clinical trials demonstrated that oral dydrogesterone was non-inferior for pregnancy rate at 12 weeks of gestation and could be an alternative to micronized vaginal progesterone.

Infertility, IL-17, IL-33 and Microbiome Cross-Talk: The Extended ARIA-MeDALL Hypothesis.

Infertility, defined as the inability to obtain pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse, has increased in prevalence over the past decades, similarly to chronic, allergic, autoimmune, or neurodegenerative diseases. A recent ARIA-MeDALL hypothesis has proposed that all these diseases are linked to dysbiosis and to some cytokines such as interleukin 17 (IL-17) and interleukin 33 (IL-33). Our paper suggests that endometriosis, a leading cause of infertility, is linked to endometrial dysbiosis and two key cytokines, IL-17 and IL-33, which interact with intestinal dysbiosis.

Western diet promotes endometriotic lesion growth in mice and induces depletion of Akkermansia muciniphila in intestinal microbiota.

Background: Endometriosis, affecting 10% of women in their reproductive years, remains poorly understood. Both individual and environmental unexplained factors are implicated in this heterogenous condition. This study aims to examine the influence of a Western diet on endometriosis lesion development in mice and to uncover the mechanisms involved.

Clues to revising the conventional diagnostic algorithm for endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a complex gynecologic disorder characterized primarily by symptoms of pelvic pain, infertility, and altered quality of life. National and international guidelines highlight the diagnostic difficulties and lack of conclusive diagnostic tools for endometriosis. Furthermore, guidelines are becoming questionable at an increasingly rapid rate as new diagnostic techniques emerge.

Assessment of the Pelvic Pain Experienced by Infertile Women is of Prime Importance for Diagnosing Endometriosis.

Objective: To provide evidence regarding the significance of painful symptoms among women suffering from infertility.

Design: An observational retrospective cross-sectional study.

Settings: University hospital-based research center.

Questionnaire-based screening of adolescents and young adult women can identify markers associated with endometriosis.

Study Question: Do adolescents and young adult women (YAW) with histologically proven endometriosis present a specific clinical history?

Summary Answer: Questionnaire screening of adolescents and YAW can identify clinical markers associated with histologically proven endometriosis.

What Is Known Already: Some validated questionaries can contribute to an earlier endometriosis diagnosis in adults. None of these scores, however, have been validated for adolescents or YAW.

Clinical signs and diagnosis of fibroids from adolescence to menopause.

The aim of this review was to provide an updated assessment of the present diagnostic tools and clinical symptoms and signs to evaluate uterine fibroids (UFs) on the basis of current guidelines, recent scientific evidence, and a PubMed and Google Scholar search for peer-reviewed original and review articles related to clinical signs and diagnosis of UFs. Approximately 50%-75% of UFs are considered nonclinically relevant. When present, the most common symptoms are abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain and/or bulk symptoms, and reproductive failure.

Menstrual Blood Donation for Endometriosis Research: A Cross-Sectional Survey on Women's Willingness and Potential Barriers.

An anonymous online survey in French was used to assess if endometriosis patients would be as ready as unaffected women to donate their menstrual blood for biological research on endometriosis and evaluate potential barriers to such donation. It was distributed in September 2022 by social media and two mailing lists, including a French patient organization. The questionnaire assessed participant age and brief medical history (hormonal contraception, endometriosis diagnosis, type of endometriosis), menstrual experience (menstrual blood abundance, dysmenorrhea), and whether participants would donate menstrual blood.

Effects of Ulipristal Acetate on Reactive Oxygen Species and Proinflammatory Cytokine Release by Epithelial and Stromal Cells from Human Endometrium and Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a condition characterized by increased oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which can be treated with progestins and other progesterone receptor ligands. However, some patients are refractory to this treatment and the reason is uncertain. Here we investigated the effects of the selective progesterone receptor modulator ulipristal acetate (UPA) on proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proinflammatory cytokine production by endometriotic cells and endometrial cells from women with histologically proven endometriosis (n = 22) and endometriosis-free controls (n = 6).