Abstract: Endometriosis, an estrogen-dependent chronic disease, is common in reproductive-age women and seriously affects the physical and mental health and quality of life of the majority of women. Although various pathogenic theories have been proposed, the underlying mechanism of endometriosis remains unclear. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT） is a process that epithelial cells lose polarity and cell-to-cell connection to obtain the invasion and movement ability of mesenchymal cells. These changes are also considered to be prerequisites for the initial establishment of EMs lesions. However, there is no study exactly indicates which type of EMT occurs in endometriosis. Besides, hypoxia and estrogen can activate the EMT process in endometriosis through different pathways. Those pathways involve many cytokines and signal transduction pathways, ultimately leading to cell proliferation and migration. This paper mainly summarized the types of EMT, stimulating signals, cytokines and pathways, in order to provide new ideas for clinical diagnosis and treatment of EMs.

Key words: Endometriosis, Epithelial-mesenchymal transition, Pathogenesis