What is the difference between endometriosis and adenomyosis?

What is the difference between endometriosis and adenomyosis?

Endometriosis, including endometriosis and adenomyosis, but the causes and pathologies are different.

1. Endometriosis refers to the glands and stroma that appear outside the uterus, which is called endometriosis. When the endometrial glands and stroma invade the myometrium, it is called adenomyosis.

2. The causes of endometriosis may include retrograde menstrual blood flow, lymphatic and venous spread, or iatrogenic implantation. Its pathological changes are that the ectopic endometrium bleeds periodically with the changes in the menstrual cycle, leading to the proliferation of surrounding fibrous tissue and cyst adhesion, and eventually develops into purple-brown solid nodules or masses of different sizes.

3. The cause of adenomyosis may be related to damage to the endometrial base caused by multiple pregnancies, artificial abortions, and chronic endometritis. Pathologically, the ectopic endometrium grows in the myometrium with the menstrual cycle. A few adenomyosis lesions have limited growth and form nodules or masses, which are called adenomyomas.