Author(s): HERZOG, K.M., BERNSTEIN, C., BEHRINGER, M., Institution: GOETHE UNIVERSITY FRANKFURT, Country: GERMANY, Abstract-ID: 2306

INTRODUCTION:
Endometriosis is a chronic estrogen-dependent gynecological disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus that affects approximately 10 to 15% of women of reproductive age worldwide [1]. Research suggests that the symptoms of endometriosis are due to a localized inflammatory peritoneal response triggered by ectopic implants experiencing cyclic bleeding [2,3]. Although there is evidence that physical activity can alleviate symptoms via anti-inflammatory processes, it is still unclear whether endometriosis affects the function of the skeletal muscles [4,5]. This review therefore provides a comprehensive overview of the data available to date on the influence of endometriosis on muscle contractility and muscle stiffness.
METHODS:
We conducted a literature review on the influence of endometriosis on skeletal muscle characteristics. For this purpose, articles in English or German were searched in PubMed and Web of Science.The search strategy included the combination of key words ‘endometriosis’ and ‘skeletal muscles’ and ‘physical activity’. The search included all topic-specific papers published during the year 1970 to 2024. Then, the findings were classified in order to summarize the evidence.
RESULTS:
Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, 12 studies were included in this review. We grouped the studies into two major categories based on the influences of endometriosis on the skeletal muscle function that were studied: (1) endometriosis in animal studies and (2) endometriosis in human studies.
CONCLUSION:
Our data indicate that endometriosis can impact muscle stiffness. Preliminary results have shown that there is an alteration in muscle stiffness due inflammatory processes. However, proposed mechanisms are often deduced from animal studies and still remain to be verified in humans with endometriosis. Although the data available to date indicate that endometriosis increases oxidative stress, consequently affects muscle elasticity and stiffness, we need high quality randomized controlled trials to confirm these results.

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5. Montenegro, M.L., Bonocher, C.M., Meola, J., Portella, R.L., Ribeiro-Silva, A., Brunaldi, M.O., Ferriani, R