Evolution of endometriosis research: A comprehensive analysis of research designs and topics over the last 15 years

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this review is to analyse the progression of endometriosis research from 2007 to 2022. Material and methodsThe PubMed database was searched for publications with titles containing the keyword endometriosis, being created in January and July of the years 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022. Each publication was categorized by research design and topic. We defined a total of seven groups containing twenty-three categories. ResultsThe total number of publications per year increased from 393 in 2007 to 1042 in 2022. Regarding categories, the relative fraction of the Observational Study category increased from 32% to 45%. A similar development can be seen in the Laboratory Study/Experiment category which increased from 4% to 10%. Meanwhile, Interventional Study decreased from 7% to 5%. The relative number of Case Reports dropped from 25% to 13%. The absolute number of every category increased from 2007 to 2022. Concerning topics, the Diagnostics group increased from 10% to 15%. The Pathophysiology group decreased from 63% to 51%. In the Treatment group, a decrease of 33% to 26% was observed. Finally, the Other group saw an increase from 11% to 16%. ConclusionWe saw an increase in the number of publications in several categories. However, we identified a need for more research in the Diagnostics, Pathophysiology and Treatment categories. Overall, we concluded that more basic research and more clinical studies are needed to better understand endometriosis as a disease and to better help affected patients.