Increased risk of obstetric complications in patients with adenomyosis: A narrative literature review

Effect of Ovarian Endometriotic Cyst on the Efficacy of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Adenomyosis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of ovarian endometriotic cysts on the efficacy of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in patients with adenomyosis.

METHODS

Based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, patients were categorized into three groups according to the presence and type of adnexal cyst signal: group A (with endometriotic cyst signal), group B (with simple cyst signal), and group C (without cyst signal). The non-perfused volume ratio (NPVR), postoperative dysmenorrhea scores, and long-term recurrence of HIFU were compared among groups.

RESULTS

A total of 396 patients were enrolled, comprising group A (77 cases), group B (134 cases), and group C (185 cases), and the NPVR were 41.83, 44.99, and 50.79%, respectively (P = .021). The postoperative dysmenorrhea scores were 3 (2, 5), 2 (1, 4), and 2 (1, 4) (P = .012), while the pregnancy rates were 20.00%, 27.27%, and 43.59%, respectively (P = .072). Cumulative recurrence rates for patients with endometriotic cysts at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 years were 45.60, 56.10, 57.90, 61.90, and 67.30%, respectively (log-rank P < .001). Endometriotic cysts were significantly associated with higher dysmenorrhea scores and represented an independent risk factor for postoperative pregnancy (OR = 0.338, 95% CI: 0.129-0.886, P = .027) and long-term recurrence (HR = 1.865, 95% CI: 1.275-2.728, P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The signal of endometriotic cyst on MRI exhibits a negative correlation with the efficacy of HIFU in patients with adenomyosis. Preoperative MRI assessment of adnexal cyst signal in patients facilitates the development of a more tailored and comprehensive treatment plan for individuals suffering from adenomyosis.

Expert Consensus on the Management of Adenomyosis: A Modified Delphi Method Approach by the Taiwan Endometriosis Society

Objectives

To establish the expert opinions and consensus recommendations from the Taiwanese Endometriosis Society on managing adenomyosis.

Materials and Methods

This study employed a two-round modified Delphi method incorporating a national panel of expert gynecologists to form the consensus on managing adenomyosis. The first round of the Delphi procedure involved an expert panel from the board members to evaluate the relevance of each item. In the subsequent round of votes, gynecologists affiliated with the Taiwan Endometriosis Society participated and used a 5-point Likert scale to cast votes and approve each statement. The rating scales for each item of the key recommendations were analyzed for the distribution of degrees of agreement.

Results

The consensus for managing adenomyosis was developed, encompassing various aspects including imaging diagnosis, hormonal treatment, surgical treatment, noninvasive/minimally invasive treatment, infertility concerns, and obstetric considerations. In the first round of voting, all 25 recommendations received approval from the board members, advancing them to the second round. During the second round of voting, the majority of recommendations received either a "strongly agree" or "agree" response. There was divergence regarding the similarity of effectiveness in alleviating adenomyosis-related pain by either laparotomic or laparoscopic approaches (55% strongly agree or agree vs. 21% disagree or strongly disagree).

Conclusion

The Taiwan Endometriosis Society expert panel has established a set of consensus guidelines for the management of adenomyosis. There are diverging opinions among experts regarding the optimal surgical approaches for resection of adenomyosis.

Adenomyosis among patients undergoing postpartum hysterectomy for uncontrollable uterine bleeding: A multicenter, observational, retrospective, cohort study on histologically-based prevalence and clinical characteristics

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of adenomyosis at pathologic examination, and its association with obstetric complications, peripartum maternal clinical characteristics and neonatal birth weight in patients undergoing postpartum hysterectomy due to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).

METHODS

A multicenter, observational, retrospective, cohort study was carried out including all women who underwent postpartum hysterectomy due to PPH at gestational week 23+0 or later, between January 2010 and May 2023. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the presence of adenomyosis at pathologic examination, and were compared for obstetric complications, peripartum maternal clinical characteristics, and neonatal birth weight.

RESULTS

The histologically-based prevalence of adenomyosis in patients undergoing postpartum hysterectomy due to PPH was 39.4%. Adenomyosis was associated with a longer hospitalization time (regression coefficient: 4.43 days, 95% CI: 0.34-8.52, P = 0.034) and a higher risk of hypertensive disorders (OR: 5.82, 95% CI: 1.38-24.46, P = 0.016), threatened preterm labor (OR: 3.34, 95% CI: 1.08-10.31, P = 0.036), urgent/emergency C-section (OR: 24.15, 95% CI: 2.60-223.96, P = 0.005), postpartum maternal complications (OR: 4.96, 95% CI: 1.48-16.67, P = 0.012), maternal intensive care unit admission (OR: 3.56, 95% CI: 1.05-12.05, P = 0.041), and low birth weight neonates (OR: 3.8, 95% CI: 1.32-11.02, P = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

In patients undergoing postpartum hysterectomy due to PPH, adenomyosis is a highly prevalent condition among, and is associated with adverse obstetric, maternal, and neonatal outcomes.

Innovative Ultrasound Criteria for the Diagnosis of Adenomyosis and Correlation with Symptoms: A Retrospective Re-Evaluation

The 2022 Delphi revision of the MUSA (Morphological Uterus Sonographic Assessment) criteria for the ultrasound diagnosis of adenomyosis divides the ultrasound signs for diagnosis into direct and indirect ones, considering the presence of at least one direct sign as a mandatory criterion. This study aimed to reclassify the patients referred to the Pelvic Pain specialist outpatient clinic of the Gynecological Clinic of Udine according to the new criteria, evaluating the number of overdiagnoses and the possible correlation between the direct and indirect signs and the patients' symptoms. 62 patients affected by adenomyosis were retrospectively recruited. The patients were then re-evaluated by ultrasound and clinically. At least one direct sign of adenomyosis was found in 52 patients, while 16% of the population examined did not present any. There was no statistically significant difference between patients presenting direct signs and those presenting none for the symptoms considered. According to the new criteria, 16% of the patients examined were not affected by adenomyosis; applying the new consensus to symptomatic patients could increase false negatives. In a population of symptomatic patients, the diagnosis of adenomyosis is still highly probable even without direct ultrasound signs, given the clinical symptoms and having ruled out other causes of such symptoms.

Uterine rupture due to adenomyosis in an adolescent: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Uterine rupture is a fatal medical complication with a high mortality rate. Most cases of uterine rupture occur in late pregnancy or during labor and are mainly related to uterine scarring due to previous surgical procedures. Adenomyosis is a possible risk factor for uterine rupture. However, spontaneous uterine rupture due to severe adenomyosis in a non-gravida-teenaged female has not been reported in the literature to date.

CASE SUMMARY

A 16-year-old girl was referred to our hospital for acute abdominal pain and hypovolemic shock with a blood pressure of 90/50 mmHg. Radiologic studies revealed a huge endometrial mass with multiple nodules in the lung, suggesting lung metastasis. The patient underwent an emergency total hysterectomy and wedge resection of the lung nodules. Histologically, the uterus showed diffuse adenomyosis with glandular and stromal dissociation. Lung nodules were endometrioma with massive hemorrhage. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the tumor cells were positive for PAX8, ER, and PR expression, leading to a final diagnosis of pulmonary endometriosis and uterine adenomyosis. Following surgery, the patient remains in good condition without recurrence.

CONCLUSION

This is the first case of spontaneous uterine rupture due to adenomyosis in a non-gravida adolescent.

Possible risks and benefits of adenomyomectomy on pregnancy outcomes: a retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Adenomyosis is associated with unfavorable perinatal outcomes; however, the effect of an adenomyomectomy on pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. Pregnancy following an adenomyomectomy has been reported to be associated with a high risk for uterine rupture; however, the actual incidence remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an adenomyomectomy on pregnancy outcomes by retrospectively comparing the pregnancy outcomes of women who underwent an adenomyomectomy with those of women with adenomyosis.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a single-center retrospective study in which the pregnancy outcomes of women who underwent an adenomyomectomy and for whom complete resection of the affected tissue under laparotomy was achieved were compared with those of women with adenomyosis. The following pregnancy outcomes were examined: second-trimester miscarriage, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes, preterm delivery, spontaneous preterm delivery, preeclampsia, rate of cesarean delivery, blood loss during cesarean delivery, incidence of placenta accreta spectrum, neonatal body weight, and small for gestational age infants.

RESULTS

A total of 18 pregnant women who underwent an adenomyomectomy and 105 pregnant women with adenomyosis were included in this study. All women who underwent an adenomyomectomy delivered via cesarean delivery, and among them, 1 had a uterine rupture at 30 weeks of gestation. Although there was no significant difference between pregnant women who underwent an adenomyomectomy and those with adenomyosis in the incidence of second-trimester miscarriage (0% [0/18] vs 7.6% [8/105], respectively; P=.22), preterm delivery (50% [9/18] vs 32% [34/105], respectively; P=.15), and spontaneous preterm delivery (6% [1/18] vs 15% [16/105], respectively; P=.26), a significant decrease in preterm prelabor rupture of membrane (0% [0/18] vs 12% [13/105], respectively; P<.05), preeclampsia (0% [0/18] vs 12% [13/105], respectively; P<.05), and small for gestational infants (0% [0/18] vs 15% [16/105], respectively; P<.05), as well as a significant increase in the incidence of placenta accreta spectrum (50% [9/18] vs 0% [0/105], respectively; P<.01) and blood loss during cesarean delivery (1748 mL vs 1330 mL, respectively; P<.05) were observed.

CONCLUSION

Uterine rupture following an adenomyomectomy may occur because of the high incidence of placenta accreta spectrum. However, an adenomyomectomy may reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with adenomyosis, such as preterm prelabor rupture of membranes, preeclampsia, and small for gestational age infants. An adenomyomectomy may be a viable option for women among whom the procedure is inevitable before conception.

Impact of adenomyosis on perinatal outcomes: a large cohort study (JSOG database)

BACKGROUND

A previous study investigated the effect of adenomyosis on perinatal outcomes. Some studies have reported varying effect of adenomyosis on pregnancy outcomes in some patients and dependence on the degree and subtype of uterine lesions. To elucidate the impact of adenomyosis on perinatal outcomes.

METHODS

This large-scale cohort study used the perinatal registry database of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. A dataset of 203,745 mothers who gave birth between January 2020 and December 2020 in Japan was included in the study. The participants were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of adenomyosis. Information regarding the use of fertility treatment, delivery, obstetric complications, maternal treatments, infant, fetal appendages, obstetric history, underlying diseases, infectious diseases, use of drugs, and maternal and infant death were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

In total, 1,204 participants had a history of adenomyosis and 151,105 did not. The adenomyosis group had higher rates of uterine rupture (0.2% vs. 0.01%, P = 0.02) and placenta accreta (2.0% vs. 0.5%, P < 0.001) than the non-adenomyosis group. A history of adenomyosis (odds ratio: 2.26; 95% confidence interval: 1.43-3.27; P < 0.001), uterine rupture (odds ratio: 3.45; 95% confidence interval: 0.89-19.65; P = 0.02), placental abruption (odds ratio: 2.11; 95% confidence interval: 1.27-3.31; P < 0.01), and fetal growth restriction (odds ratio: 2.66; 95% confidence interval: 2.00-3.48; P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for placenta accreta.

CONCLUSION

Adenomyosis in pregnancies is associated with an increased risk of placenta accreta, uterine rupture, placental abruption, and fetal growth restriction.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Institutional Review Board of Tottori University Hospital (IRB no. 21A244).

The ADENO study: ADenomyosis and its Effect on Neonatal and Obstetric outcomes: a retrospective population-based study

BACKGROUND

Adenomyosis is a benign gynecologic condition arising from the uterine junctional zone. Recent studies suggest a relationship between adenomyosis and adverse obstetrical outcomes, but evidence remains conflicting. There is no large-scale study investigating obstetrical outcomes in women with adenomyosis using the gold standard of histopathologic diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of adverse obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in women with histopathologic adenomyosis and that of the general (Dutch) population.

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective population-based study used 2 Dutch national databases (Perined, the perinatal registry, and the nationwide pathology databank [Pathologisch Anatomisch Landelijk Geautomiseerd Archief], from 1995 to 2018) to compare obstetrical outcomes in women before histopathologic adenomyosis diagnosis to the general Dutch population without registered histopathologic adenomyosis. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were calculated for adverse obstetrical outcomes. The outcomes were adjusted for maternal age, parity, ethnicity, year of registered birth, induction of labor, hypertensive disorders in previous pregnancies, multiple gestation, and low socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

The pregnancy outcomes of 7925 women with histopathologic adenomyosis were compared with that of 4,615,803 women without registered adenomyosis. When adjusted for confounders, women with adenomyosis had adjusted odds ratios of 1.37 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-1.50) for hypertensive disorders, 1.37 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-1.51) for preeclampsia, 1.15 (95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.25) for small-for-gestational-age infants, 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.41-1.68) for emergency cesarean delivery, 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.37) for failure to progress, 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.48) for placental retention, and 1.23 (95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.38) for postpartum hemorrhage. No increased risk of HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) syndrome, placental abruption, or operative vaginal delivery or need for oxytocin stimulation was found.

CONCLUSION

Women with a histopathologic diagnosis of adenomyosis showed an increased prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and small-for-gestational-age infants, failure to progress in labor, and placental retention compared with the general population in previous pregnancies. This suggests that uterine (contractile) function in labor and during pregnancy is impaired in women with adenomyosis.

Adenomyosis in Pregnancy-Should It Be Managed in High-Risk Obstetric Units?

BACKGROUND

Uterine adenomyosis is an increasingly frequent disorder. Our study aimed to demonstrate the presence of obstetric complications in the population affected by this condition to demonstrate the need for follow-up in high-risk obstetric units.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The data for the study were obtained from TriNetX, LLC, between 2010 and 2020. The outcomes analyzed were intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm delivery, cesarean delivery, hypertension, abruption placentae, and spontaneous abortion. Seven thousand six hundred and eight patients were included in the cohort of pregnant patients with adenomyosis, and 566,153 women in the cohort of pregnant patients without any history of endometriosis.

RESULTS

Upon calculating the total risk of presenting any of these problems during pregnancy, we obtained an OR = 1.521, implying that a pregnancy with adenomyosis was 52.1% more likely to present some complication. We found: IUGR OR = 1.257 (95% CI: 1.064-1.485) (p = 0.007); preterm delivery OR = 1.422 (95% CI: 1.264-1.600) (p = 0.0001); cesarean delivery OR = 1.099 (95% CI: 1.002-1.205) (p = 0.046); hypertensive disorders OR = 1.177 (95% CI: 1.076-1.288) (p = 0.0001); abruption placentae OR = 1.197 (95% CI: 1.008-1.422) (p = 0.040), and spontaneous abortion OR = 1.529 (95% CI: 1.360-1.718) (p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the review carried out and the data we obtained on increased risk provide sufficient evidence to recommend that patients with adenomyosis should be managed in obstetric high-risk units.

Pregnancy Outcomes of Freeze-All versus Fresh Embryo Transfer in Women with Adenomyosis: A Retrospective Study

Adenomyosis has been associated with adverse fertility and pregnancy outcomes, and its impact on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has received much attention. It is controversial whether the freeze-all strategy is better than fresh embryo transfer (ET) in women with adenomyosis. Women with adenomyosis were enrolled in this retrospective study from January 2018 to December 2021 and were divided into two groups: freeze-all (n = 98) and fresh ET (n = 91). Data analysis showed that freeze-all ET was associated with a lower rate of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) compared with fresh ET (1.0% vs. 6.6%, p = 0.042; adjusted OR 0.17 (0.01-2.50), p = 0.194). Freeze-all ET also had a lower risk of low birth weight compared with fresh ET (1.1% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.049; adjusted OR 0.54 (0.04-7.47), p = 0.642). There was a nonsignificant trend toward a lower miscarriage rate in freeze-all ET (8.9% vs. 11.6%; p = 0.549). The live birth rate was comparable in the two groups (19.1% vs. 27.1%; p = 0.212). The freeze-all ET strategy does not improve pregnancy outcomes for all patients with adenomyosis and may be more appropriate for certain patients. Further large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm this result.

Glycolysis and Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

Menstrual cycle is a major determinant in female reproductive health. In a recent report, Mao et al. (2022) associated deficient glycolysis with heavy menstrual bleeding. This commentary summarizes these recent findings and the importance of glycolysis and decidualization in endometrial function. It will also discuss if in the light of the recent findings menstrual bleeding is better conceived as a primary endometrial disorder inherent to endometrium or as a secondary endometrial disorder caused by other endometrial conditions.