A 47-year-old member asked:
Does endometriosis run in families?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

Dr. Alfredo Nievesanswered
Gynecology 41 years experience
Endo: No specific gene or genetic pattern have been identified but we defitely see endo in families nonetheless.
6.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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A Verified Doctor commented
A US doctor answered Learn more
Women with a first degree relative are 7x more likely to develop endometriosis themselves. Animal studies have long demonstrated that common molecular genetic pathways, specifically K-RAS/MAPK and PTEN/PI13, are involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis (and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma). Separate studies have identified upregulation of multiple genes within the RAS/RAF/MAPK and P13K patheways in endometriosis patients, as compared to controls. Of note, PTEN and K-RAS mutations were found to play a role in the development of low-grade ovarian endometrioid carcinomas; synchronous mutations were also identified in uterine and ovarian endometrioid carcinomas associated specifically with endometriosis. Moreover, loss of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene has been implicated in progression from endometriosis to endometrioid ovarian cancer. [Giudice, Linda, Johannes Leonardus Henricus Evers, and D. L. Healy. Endometriosis: Science and Practice. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print]. Even more recently, Australian researchers conducted a study of 5640 Australian, Japanese and European women with endometriosis and identified four new gene regions linked to the condition.
Nov 13, 2012

Dr. Malcolm Mackenzieanswered
Gynecology 28 years experience
Absolutely: Very often however, older women will have not gotten a diagnosis of endometriosis but will have a long history of pain or hard periods and their daughters will have the same, starting in their early teens and everyone will just think that "its just what women in our family have as their periods" and no one will consider endometriosis.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated May 25, 2017
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