Pharmacologic treatment of the ovarian endometrioma

Giuseppe Benagiano, Sun-Wei Guo, Sun‐Wei Guo, Paola Bianchi, Patrick Puttemans, Stephan Gordts, Felice Petraglia, Ivo Brosens
Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy · 2016 · vol. 17(15) , pp. 2019–2031 · doi:10.1080/14656566.2016.1229305 · PMID:27615386 · W2520406983
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review examines current and future pharmacologic treatments for ovarian endometriomas, including hormonal therapies and novel approaches, and discusses their role in managing symptoms and recurrence.

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of ovarian endometriomas is commonly achieved through laparoscopic surgery and this can be effective in eliminating the disease, although a majority of recent trials documented an adverse effect of surgery on ovarian reserve markers. With the advancement in imaging techniques, ovarian endometriomas are increasingly diagnosed at an earlier stage when the endometrioma may be smaller, less fibrotic and more responsive to medical treatment, making an evaluation of medical options critically important. AREAS COVERED: The review focuses on currently utilized pharmacologic therapies for endometrioma (oral contraceptives, the levonorgestrel-releasing IUS, the hormone-releasing subdermal implant, Implanon); experimental and future treatments are also mentioned (GnRH antagonists, progesterone receptor modulators, antioestrogens, newer subdermal implants and intracystic administration of pharmacologic agents). Finally, the usefulness of post-operative adjuvant medical treatments is discussed Expert opinion: Today, reliable, non-invasive diagnostic procedures of an ovarian endometrioma are available and should be utilized to identify its presence and type of pathology. In a young patient, classic medical therapies such as oral contraceptives and synthetic progestins should be tried first to alleviate symptoms. Only when these regimens fail, should a minimally invasive surgery be envisaged. Following endoscopic surgery, adjuvant medical treatment may reduce recurrence of both symptoms and the lesion.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometrioma

MeSH descriptors

Contraceptives, Oral Endometriosis Contraceptives, Oral Desogestrel Desogestrel Endometriosis Female Humans Levonorgestrel Levonorgestrel

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (100)

Cited by (4)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK