The following is the summary of “Progestins in the symptomatic management of endometriosis: a meta-analysis on their effectiveness and safety” published in the December 2022 issue of Women’s health by Mitchell, et al.

Endometriosis is a chronic disorder affecting around 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. About 2 of the most common symptoms of endometriosis are a pain in the pelvic region and an inability to conceive a child. Women who had a confirmed laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis and were receiving progestins were the subjects of a systematic review of the literature conducted with the help of the databases Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov. The review focused on the women’s experiences with endometriosis and how the use of progestins affected their symptoms.

The study’s objective was to ascertain whether or not there was a decrease in the severity of painful symptoms and whether or not there were any unintended consequences. The meta-analysis incorporated findings from eighteen separate research projects in its entirety. The use of progestins resulted in a reduction in painful symptoms in contrast to the use of a placebo (standardized mean difference =-0.61, 95% CI = -0.77, -0.45). There were no noticeable differences between the types of progestins utilized in this study. Minor adverse events were documented after the median trial lengths of 6–12 months. 

The discontinuation rate owing to adverse effects was 0.3% (range: 0–37.1%), while the rate of discontinuation due to adverse effects ranged from 0–37.1%. According to the findings of the meta-analysis, there was a substantial association between the utilization of progestins and a reduction in the intensity of adverse effects. This was demonstrated by the fact that the severity of adverse effects was reduced.

Source: bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-022-02122-0