1. University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
RISE Program 2011
Writing assignment from PMS.
Topic: Endometriosis
Written by: Angélica M. González Sánchez
Due to the reproductive cycle of females, woman’s uterus produces endometrial cells which
become a tissue that, if the woman gets pregnant, will function as a protective lining for the fertilized
egg. If this doesn’t happen, the tissue will be expulsed by menstruation. This cycle occurs by these
terms in most women and it is therefore part of their normal life. However, as in all the living systems,
there are several exceptions to these rules. Some women suffer from conditions which alter their
reproductive cycle and their lifestyles as well. One of those conditions is endometriosis. This is a
disease on which the endometrial cells grow and allocate as tissues in other parts of the pelvic area,
rather than inside the uterus, such as in the ovaries, in the bladder, in the intestines and in other related
organs. This condition causes a lot of pain in the abdominal area, irregular bleeding, changes in the
menstrual cycle, and in some cases infertility. Its cause is still unknown, but some theories point to
genetic mutations which result in retrospective menstruation, a malfunction of the reproductive system
which makes menstruation to back up through the fallopian tubes into the pelvis instead of being
expelled. It is thought that women with endometriosis have problems in their immunological system
because, normally, this type of tissue would be removed by the own body’s defenses, but in women
with endometriosis this doesn’t happen. It is as if the body wasn’t able to recognize these dysfunctional
groups of cells and thus allowed them to be there. This disease affects 4 of every 10 women worldwide,
of any age and any race. In Puerto Rico, this is a very common condition and also affects 40% of the
female population. This is why it is a quite relevant field for study, and the reason why it is studied by
the graduate alumni of the Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
When we visited the Ponce School of Medicine, one of their students on her third year of
doctoral degree, called Abigail Ruiz, explained us how this university is making an important impact in
the study of endometriosis. At PMS, a selected group of graduate students interested in endometriosis
along with their mentors make up the Endometriosis Research Program. They are making research and
working in the labs to see if they can find a way of understanding endometriosis in a broader way.
Abigail talked to us about the projects that the Endometriosis Research Program, is doing, especially
about one related to how the endometrial cells express the CXC4 co-receptor and about the role of
histone modifications as a mechanism of gene expression regulation in endometriosis.
Abigail’s presentation was quite interesting and didactic because on it I learned a lot of new
concepts about endometriosis that I was unaware of. I liked very much her confidence and her
knowledge of the topic. I also admire the fact that Abigail was able and willing to answer all the
questions presented by the audience in an accurate way. However, I would recommend her to use
audiovisual resources for a next time because it would help the spectators to keep up with her line of
thought and to comprehend better the scientific concepts. In conclusion, as a whole, the presentation
was very satisfactory because it showed us a general view of the topic as well as the work that is being
done about this condition. Finally, I would recommend this visit to the Ponce School of Medicine to all
the university alumni interested on being oriented about graduate studies.