Definition of "adenosis" []

• A disease of a gland, especially one marked by the abnormal formation or enlargement of glandular tissue. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "When the problems caused by exposure in the womb became known, DES daughters were advised to have annual exams with smears taken from the vagina and cervix, and those women with vaginal tissue abnormalities, such as adenosis, were found to have nearly 50% more auto-immune diseases than DES daughters without such abnormalities."
• "Recent studies show that DES daughters have a greater risk for a more common vaginal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma.14 You may also have adenosis—columnar cells where the usual squamous cells should be—around the cervix."
• "Cervical “collars” or “hoods” adenosis do not have to be treated and may disappear after age thirty."