Summary of the proposed interplay between the different factors reported in the pathogenesis of superficial versus deep endometriosis. The different initiating, propagating, and predisposing factors are indicated through different shapes, respectively. The arrows indicate the interplay between the different factors. As indicated by the bold pink arrows, some of the labelled propagating factors create a microenvironment that impacts the differentiation of stem cells and/or the transdifferentiation of peritoneal cells into endometrial cells.
