Objective: To evaluate the effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) on ovarian endometrioma.
Design: A retrospective cohort study.
Settings: A university hospital.
Patients: Twenty-two patients (mean age, 42.1 years; range, 23-49 years) with ultrasonograph...
Objective: To evaluate the effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) on ovarian endometrioma.
Design: A retrospective cohort study.
Settings: A university hospital.
Patients: Twenty-two patients (mean age, 42.1 years; range, 23-49 years) with ultrasonographic evidence of ovarian endometrioma.
Intervention(s): Treated with OCs in a cyclic or continuous method for more than 3 months.
Main Outcome Measure(s): The size of the ovarian endometriomas before and after OCs treatment (mean duration, 13 months; median, 9 months; range, 3-36 months) assessed by a 2-dimentional transvaginal ultrasonographic (TUVS) method.
Result(s): OCs reduced the size of ovarian endometrioma from 4.1±1.4 cm to 2.1±2.0 cm (48.8% reduction, p<0.001) and statistically meaningful decrease was observed till 12 months of treatment (p=0.021). Eighteen women with ovarian endometrioma >3cm at baseline, 1 year of OCs therapy decreased ovarian lesion to <3 cm in 9 women (good responders, 50%). Analyzing the poor and good responders, no variable seem to have statistical significance. The proportion of good responders significantly increased as the age increased (p=0.025). The characteristics between women with recurred and primary ovarian endometrioma did not show any meaningful difference. In the primary and recurrent ovarian endometrioma, OCs therapy for 12 months significantly decreased the ovarian endometrioma size in both groups (p=0.031, p=0.022, respectively). There were no major side effects among the patients but 6 patients had nausea and 2 patients had vaginal spotting.
Conclusion(s): OCs might be effective in regression of ovarian endometrioma.
Key Words: Ovarian endometrioma, oral contraceptive