Effective post-laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis with dydrogesterone

Abstract

An open, prospective, multicenter study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of dydrogesterone in the post-laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis in Indian patients. Ninety-eight patients suffering from minimal, mild, moderate or severe endometriosis, with or without infertility, who had undergone laparoscopy, were treated with dydrogesterone 10 mg/day (or 20 mg/day in severe cases) orally from day 5 to day 25 of each cycle for 3–6 months. Pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia improved significantly (p < 0.05) after the first cycle of treatment. By the end of the sixth cycle, the reduction in pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia was 95%, 87% and 85%, respectively. The amount of menstrual bleeding fell significantly (p < 0.05) after 2 months (−12%) and this significant reduction was maintained until the end of the study. The duration of bleeding was also reduced significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the study, starting after the first month of treatment (−10%). A total of 21.1% of the patients were considered cured and 66.7% showed improvement. Overall, dydrogesterone therapy was rated as excellent to good by 74% of patients and 70% of physicians. No adverse events were reported. In conclusion, dydrogesterone is an effective and safe post-laparoscopic treatment for endometriosis.

Keywords:

• Endometriosis
• fertility
• dydrogesterone
• progestogens
• dysmenorrhoea
• dyspareunia
• menstrual bleeding
• pelvic pain