Endometriosis is a common, debilitating condition defined by the presence of functional endometrial tissue outside the uterus. It is most commonly present in the pelvic cavity on and around the organs or tissues surrounding the uterus such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, exterior surface of the uterus, ligaments supporting the uterus, the peritoneum and the Douglas Pouch (including the rectovaginal septum). The most common symptoms are chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, menorrhagia and infertility.
The diagnosis may be suspected on the basis of pain symptoms, but there is considerable overlap in symptomatology with other gynaecological, gastrointestinal and genito-urinary conditions. Not infrequently, patients with endometriosis see a variety of specialists before a gynaecologist comes to the diagnosis. This explains why the delay between the onset of symptoms and a diagnosis is often as long as 8 to 11 years (Hadfield et al., 1996). Many women remain undiagnosed and suffer in silence.
Aim of this project is to identify metabolomic signatures in clinical plasma samples which predict the presence of ectopic endometriosis tissue, and allow assessment of the stage of the disease and treatment effects.
