What are the causes of endometriosis?

What is the cause of endometriosis? Endometriosis is a disease caused by blood stasis in the uterus and Chong and Ren meridians, which causes endometrial tissue with growth function to appear in other parts of the uterus. Modern medical research has the following five views on endometriosis:

1. Immunology theory: Some people believe that when a woman's immune function is normal, the local immune system, which is mainly composed of endometrial cells that flow into the abdominal cavity through the fallopian tubes during menstruation, will kill them. If the local immune function is insufficient or the number of endometrial cells flowing back into the abdominal cavity is too large, the immune cells will not be enough to kill them, and endometriosis will occur.

2. Genetic factors: Simpson proposed that the incidence of endometriosis patients' first-degree parents (women) suffering from the same disease was significantly higher than that of the control group, but no specific HLA antigen related to the disease was found.

3. Coelomic metaplasia theory: The germinal epithelium of the ovary, pelvic peritoneum, and pleura all originate from the lymphatic and venous spread of the coelomic epithelium. Repeated stimulation by menstrual blood, hormones, or chronic inflammation can metaplasia into endometrial-like tissue, forming endometriosis.

4. Endometrial implantation theory: Sampson first proposed that endometrial fragments shed during menstruation enter the abdominal cavity through the fallopian tubes with retrograde menstrual blood, implant in the ovaries and adjacent pelvic peritoneum, and then grow and spread, developing into endometriosis. Women with reproductive tract malformations or obstructions often have complications of endometriosis, indicating that retrograde menstrual blood can cause endometrial implantation. Endometriosis in abdominal wall incisions or perineal wounds after childbirth is caused by the surgeon bringing the endometrium to the incision, resulting in iatrogenic implantation.

5. Lymphatic and venous spread theory: The presence of endometrial tissue in the pelvic veins or lymph nodes supports this theory. It is also believed that endometriosis occurring in organs far away from the pelvic cavity, such as the lungs, hands, skin and muscles of the thighs, may be the result of lymphatic or venous spread.