Investigational drugs for endometriosis

Abstract

Endometriosis is an enigmatic disease found in as many as 30% of reproductive age women. The symptoms for women who suffer from this malady vary but may include subfertility or chronic pelvic pain. Because endometriosis lesions rely on estradiol for growth, most of the existing drug regimens work by creating hypoestrogenism. Unfortunately, this leads to untoward side effects and alterations in ovulation and, subsequently, fertility potential. Newer drugs are currently under investigation that either create hypoestrogenemia more efficaciously or do not alter ovulation but still affect the growth of endometriosis. They target some of the pathophysiological pathways that are only now being elucidated, and include gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists, aromatase inhibitors, selective progesterone receptor modulators, angiogenesis inhibitors, matrix metalloprotease inhibitors, estrogen receptor β-agonists and immune modulators.