Adenomyosis

Definition:
Adenomyosis is uterine thickening that occurs when endometrial tissue, which normally lines the uterus, extends into the fibrous and muscular tissue of the uterus.

Alternative Names:
Endometriosis interna; Adenomyoma

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The diagnosis of adenomyosis can only be made after a pathologist examines uterine wall samples.

The cause is unknown. Sometimes a focal area of adenomyosis appears to cause a mass or growth within the uterus, which is called an adenomyoma. The disease usually occurs in women older than 30 who have borne children and rarely occurs in women who have not carried a pregnancy to term.

Some degree of adenomyosis affects 60% of women, but in most cases is not symptomatic.




Review Date: 1/12/2003
Reviewed By: Daniel Rein, M.D., Obstetrician and Gynecologist, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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