( S ) Few studies of medical therapies for endometriosis report outcomes that are relevant to patients , and many women gain only limited or intermittent benefit from treatment
OBJECTIVE To assess patient response rates to medical therapies used to treat endometriosis-associated pain .
Long-term cyclic and continuous oral contraceptive therapy and endometrioma recurrence: a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate long-term cyclic and continuous administration of oral contraceptive pills ( OCP ) in preventing ovarian endometrioma  recurrence after laparoscopic cystectomy . DESIGN Prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled trial . SETTING Tertiary care University Hospital . PATIENT(S ) Two hundred thirty-nine women who underwent laparoscopic excision of ovarian endometriomas . INTERVENTION(S ) Patients were divided r and omly into three groups : nonusers receiving no therapy and cyclic and continuous users receiving low-dose , monophasic OCP for 24 months in cyclic or continuous administration , respectively . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S ) Endometrioma recurrence , size of recurrent endometrioma , and growth rate during at least 2 years follow-up evaluated by transvaginal ultrasonography . RESULT ( S ) The crude recurrence rate within 24 months was significantly lower in cyclic ( 14.7 % ) and continuous users ( 8.2 % ) compared with nonusers ( 29 % ) . The recurrence-free survival was significantly lower in nonusers compared with cyclic and continuous users . The mean recurrent endometrioma diameter at first observation was significantly lower in cyclic ( 2.17 + /- 0.45 cm ) and continuous users ( 1.71 + /- 0.19 cm ) compared with nonusers ( 2.73 + /- 0.56 cm ) . The mean diameter increase every 6 months of follow-up was significantly reduced in cyclic users ( 0.31 + /- 0.18 cm ) and continuous users ( 0.25 + /- 0.09 cm ) versus nonusers ( 0.48 + /- 0.3 cm ) . No significant differences between cyclic users and continuous users in terms of endometrioma recurrence were demonstrated . CONCLUSION ( S ) Long-term cyclic and continuous postoperative use of OCP can effectively reduce and delay endometrioma recurrence
( S ) Few studies of medical therapies for endometriosis report outcomes that are relevant to patients , and many women gain only limited or intermittent benefit from treatment
OBJECTIVE To assess patient response rates to medical therapies used to treat endometriosis-associated pain .