Background: Endometriosis is a complex chronic disease that affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide and commonly presents with pelvic pain and infertility.
Method & outcome measures: A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the databases Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane and ClinicalTrials.gov in women with a confirmed laparoscopic diagnosis of endometriosis receiving progestins to determine a reduction in pain symptoms and the occurrence of adverse effects.
Results: Eighteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Progestins improved painful symptoms compared to placebo (SMD = -0.61, 95% CI (-0.77, -0.45), P < 0.00001) with no comparable differences between the type of progestin. After median study durations of 6-12 months, the median discontinuation rate due to adverse effects was 0.3% (range: 0 - 37.1%) with mild adverse effects reported.
Conclusion: The meta-analysis revealed that pain improvement significantly increased with the use of progestins with low adverse effects.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021285026.
Keywords: Adverse effects; Endometriosis; Pain relief; Progestins.
© 2022. The Author(s).