Dienogest proven effective in reducing endometriosis pain and endometrioma size

In a study conducted by Yi-Chieh Chen et al, Dienogest (synthetic fourth-generation oral progestin) demonstrated potent benefits in easing endometriosis-associated pain and shrinking endometriomas in Taiwanese patients. Endometriosis is a chronic, benign condition that predominantly affects reproductive women, with a prevalence estimated to be around 5–10%. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess Dienogest's efficacy for endometriosis with the primary objectives including assessment of the improvement in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, reduction in endometrioma size, and changes in cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) levels.

Eighty-eight Taiwanese patients with endometriosis who were prescribed 2 mg Dienogest once a day for at least three months, between January 2018 and June 2022, were included. The enrolled subjects were split up into two groups: the surgery group (N=28) and the non-surgery group (N=37). VAS scores (0–100 mm) obtained at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months after the start of Dienogest were used to measure the degree of pain relief. At 0 and 6 months, the size of the ovarian endometrioma and serum CA-125 levels were examined.

Painful sensations were reported by 65 endometriosis patients. The initial pain score of 47.5 mm was dramatically reduced to 9.6 mm at 3 months (p < 0.01) in the surgery group (N = 28). At 6, 9, and 12 months, the values were 7.5 mm, 2.9 mm, and 2.1 mm respectively. The baseline VAS score in the non-surgery group (N = 37) was 65.7 mm; at 3 months, it dropped considerably to 13.2 mm (p < 0.01) and then to 4.9 mm (p < 0.05) at 6 months. It stayed low at 0.3 mm at both 9 and 12 months, as shown in Figure 1:

After six months of therapy, the size of endometriomas and levels of CA-125 in serum significantly decreased, as shown in Table 1:

The study demonstrated Dienogest's effectiveness in alleviating endometriosis-related pain in Taiwanese patients over 12 months, showing greater pain reduction compared to other Asian populations. It also showed significant decreases in endometrioma size and serum CA-125 levels after 6 months of treatment. Additional research must incorporate comprehensive data collection and larger sample sizes to substantiate the outcomes.