Adenomyosis and Endometriosis of the Uterus

Endometriosis (i.e. the presence of endometrial  tissue outside of the uterine cavity, often in the pelvic abdomen, fallopian tube, and appendix) is a common condition in women and, because of pain during menstruation, can be disabling. Various theories  for its occurrence have been suggested and extensive work is proceeding in rodents and catarrhine primates (rhesus, baboon) to understand etiology and best therapy. Endometriosis is not uncommon in rhesus and baboon but has not been reported in apes.

Adenomyosis is the benign infiltration of the myometrium by endometrium. It is somewhat similar to endometriosis but it is generally painless and without major sequelae. Pelvic pain may also exist and there may be irregular uterine bleeding. It has also been reported in rhesus and baboon, and the first two cases in a chimpanzee were reported by Barrier et al., 2007