Benign Gynaecological Conditions: Challenges from Menarche to Menopause

Benign gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, and chronic pelvic pain, affect a substantial proportion of women across their reproductive lives. From the onset of menstruation at menarche through the hormonal transitions of perimenopause, these conditions impose a significant burden on quality of life, fertility, and psychosocial wellbeing. Despite their prevalence, diagnostic delays remain a persistent problem: women with endometriosis wait an average of seven to ten years from symptom onset to confirmed diagnosis, and fibroids (the most common benign uterine tumour) are frequently undertreated or managed without adequate consideration of long-term reproductive implications. Limited awareness among primary care providers and disparities in access to specialist services compound these challenges at every life stage.

This Research Topic aims to address persistent gaps in the recognition, diagnosis, and management of benign gynaecological conditions across the female reproductive lifespan. Despite advances in minimally invasive surgery, hormonal therapies, and diagnostic imaging, many women continue to experience prolonged diagnostic journeys, undertreated symptoms, and fragmented follow-up care. The intersection of these conditions with fertility, hormonal health, pain, and psychological wellbeing demands a multidisciplinary, life-course approach that current clinical practice often fails to deliver consistently.

Recent developments, including updated international guidelines for endometriosis and PCOS, growing recognition of adolescent-onset disease, improved ultrasound characterisation of adenomyosis, and expanding non-surgical management options for fibroids, have created new opportunities to improve outcomes. This Research Topic seeks to consolidate emerging evidence, identify persisting knowledge gaps, and support the development of evidence-based, patient-centred care pathways applicable across diverse healthcare settings. By spanning the continuum from menarche to menopause, this collection reflects the true chronicity of these conditions and the need for longitudinal, integrated clinical approaches that follow women across reproductive life stages rather than treating each episode in isolation.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions addressing benign gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and chronic pelvic pain, across all stages of reproductive life. Relevant themes include diagnostic pathways and delays, medical and surgical management, fertility implications, psychosocial impact, quality-of-life outcomes, and models of multidisciplinary care. Studies addressing adolescent presentations, perimenopause transitions, and underserved or under-researched populations are particularly encouraged. We welcome Original Research, Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analyses, Clinical Trials, Narrative Reviews, and Perspectives. Submissions examining disparities in access to care, patient-reported outcomes, health economic analyses, and implementation of clinical guidelines are also within scope. Authors should clearly situate their findings within the broader context of women’s reproductive health and, where possible, address implications across more than one life stage.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Uterine Fibroids, Adenomyosis, Chronic Pelvic Pain, Reproductive Lifespan, Diagnostic Delay, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Fertility, Menstrual Health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.