Contraceptive pills effective against ovarian cysts too--study
POSTED April 2, 2010 - 15:51 | POSTED BY neha gupta
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on April 2, 2010 - 16:19
Though cysts can easily be got rid of by surgery, the pills can also reduce the recurrence of the cysts and the complications associated with the surgical procedure.
The study is the first of its kind randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the oral contraceptive pill treatment in order to stop endometrioma recurrence.
239 women studied
The study looked at 239 patients who had recently undergone surgeries for cyst removal for two years.
The patients were further divided into three groups on a random basis. The first group was prescribed no treatment at all, while the second was administered cyclic formulations of the pills.
However, the women in the third group were given regular doses of the contraceptive pills.
Revelations of the study
The women in the last group, i.e. the women who took the pills regularly, had significantly fewer recurring cysts, revealed the study.
Moreover, the women who took the pills on a longer time showed much better results that the others who took them for a shorter time period.
Johnson and Reilly suggest an immediate change to current clinical practice: "If the use of an OCP is considered to reduce the risk of recurrence of an endometrioma after laparoscopic cystectomy, treatment should be given for at least two years."
Following the positive results of the research, the scientists are of view that the pills ought to be introduced clinically in order to change the current medical practices for cyst removal.
The study has been published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Endometrioma: the chocolate cyst
Endometrioma, better known as the chocolate cysts of the ovary, are formed when a patch of the endometrial tissue starts bleeding.
As a result of the bleeding, the tissue withers and transplants itself inside the ovaries, enlarging in the ovary after a while and leading to cyst formation.
Women of any age group can fall prey to the endometriomas, though women in their childbearing years are more prone to suffer from the disease.
Majority of these cyst formations are harmless in nature. However, some of them might be cancerous and fatal.
Aching, fullness, bleeding, weight gain, and increase in facial or body hair are some of the common symptoms of the disease.
