OBGYN.net: The Universe of Women's Health

Print this page

New Research Points To Genetic Cause Of Endometriosis ERC supports new findings

Friday, September 12, 1997

Boca Raton — The Endometriosis Research Center and Women’s Hospital, (ERC) has recently learned of valuable new research that may point to a cause of endometriosis.

A team of researchers at University of Texas Southwestern may have found a genetic link to the disease. According to an article published in the February 1997 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dr. Serdar E. Bulun and his team found that some women’s genetic makeup determines their predisposition for contracting the disease. An unusual estrogen-synthesizing nzyme called aromatose was expressed in the endometrial tissue of women with the disease, allowing the wayward tissues to implant themselves to a woman’s reproductive and nearby organs. In a further twist, the researchers uncovered that as this enzyme is induced by large amounts of prostaglandins in the area, the tissue makes its own estrogen, thus promoting its own further growth.

Supported by an American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation Fellowship Award and a research grant form Zonagen Inc., the study is an important piece to a little understood disease.

The ERC is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for endometriosis. It is estimated that five million women suffer from this disease in the United Sates alone. This often hard to diagnose condition affects leaves approximately 1/3 of all suffers infertile, results in debilitating chronic pain, and can induce emotional and psychological trauma.

Organized in 1997, Michelle Marvel, President of ERC, developed the organization with the goal of finding a cure for endometriosis and to help women who suffer with endometriosis through a comprehensive program of education, peer support and active medical research.

For more information on the organization or endometriosis call 1-800-239-7280 or visit our website www.endocenter.org

Contact: Michelle Marvel
Endometriosis Research Center
751 Park of Commerce Drive, Suite 130
Boca Raton, FL 33487
Phone: (561) 988-0767
E-mail: EndoFL@aol.com