Impact of large ovarian endometriomas on the response to superovulation for in vitro fertilization: A retrospective study.

Objective: To assess the response to superovulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in patients with unilateral endometriomas with diameter ≥5cm and in the contralateral healthy ovary.

Study Design: This retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database included patients who underwent superovulation for IVF/ICSI cycles and had unoperated single unilateral endometrioma with diameter ≥5cm and healthy contralateral ovary. The primary outcome of the study was to compare the number of oocyte retrieved in the ovary with the endometrioma and the contralateral healthy ovary.

Efficacy and acceptability of long-term norethindrone acetate for the treatment of rectovaginal endometriosis.

Objective: To study the efficacy of long-term treatment with norethindrone acetate (NETA) in patients with rectovaginal endometriosis.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort study included 103 women with pain symptoms caused by rectovaginal endometriosis. Patients received NETA alone (2.

Spontaneous fertility after expectant or surgical management of rectovaginal endometriosis in women with or without ovarian endometrioma: a retrospective analysis.

Objective: To investigate spontaneous pregnancy rate (SPRs) of women with rectovaginal endometriosis (RV) with/without ovarian endometrioma (OMA) and treated with the use of expectant or surgical management.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: University hospital.

The role of fulvestrant in endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract in industrialized countries. The traditional treatment of endometrial cancer is based on a surgical approach. In recent years, systemic endocrine therapy has demonstrated good efficacy in recurrent or metastatic setting, delaying progression, ameliorating quality of life and palliating symptoms.

Three-month treatment with ulipristal acetate prior to laparoscopic myomectomy of large uterine myomas: a retrospective study.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of 3-month treatment with ulipristal acetate (UPA) before laparoscopic myomectomy of large uterine myomas.

Study Design: This retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database included women of reproductive age requiring laparoscopic myomectomy with the following characteristics: FIGO type 3, 4 or 5 myomas; largest diameter of the main myoma ≥10cm; number of myomas ≤3; largest diameters of the other myomas ≤5cm (second myoma) and ≤3cm (third myoma). Patients either underwent direct surgery (group S) or were treated before surgery with UPA for 3 months (group UPA).

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and clinical efficacy of ospemifene for the treatment of dyspareunia and genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Introduction: Ospemifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator recently approved by the FDA for the treatment postmenopausal women experiencing moderate-to-severe dyspareunia and by the EMA for the treatment of moderate-to-severe symptomatic genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) in women who are not suitable candidates for local vaginal estrogen therapy.

Areas Covered: This review offers an explanation of the pharmacodynamics and of the pharmacokinetics of ospemifene, and gives readers a complete overview of Phase II and III studies on the clinical efficacy, tolerability and safety of this agent in the setting of GSM.

Expert Opinion: Ospemifene is efficacious for improving vaginal dryness or dyspareunia as the patient-identified most bothersome symptom, and Phase III clinical trials (4648 patients) have shown good efficacy in terms of improvement of objective and subjective signs and measures of GSM in postmenopausal women.

Veliparib for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Ovarian cancer represents the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, with an incidence of 6.1 cases per 100.000 women and a cumulative lifetime risk of 0.

Bevacizumab for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women. Early stages and locally advanced cervical cancer are currently treated respectively with surgery and chemoradiation with good prognosis. Persistent, recurrent and metastatic cervical cancers have a poor prognosis.

Ulipristal Acetate Before High Complexity Hysteroscopic Myomectomy: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

Study Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative treatment with ulipristal acetate (UPA) in patients undergoing high complexity hysteroscopic myomectomy.

Design: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Storage time does not modify the gene expression profile of cryopreserved human metaphase II oocytes.

Study Question: Does storage time have any impact on the transcriptome of slowly frozen cryopreserved human metaphase II (MII) oocytes?

Summary Answer: The length of cryostorage has no effect on the gene expression profile of human MII oocytes.

What Is Known Already: Oocyte cryopreservation is a widely used technique in IVF for storage of surplus oocytes, as well as for fertility preservation (i.e.

Three-month treatment with triptorelin, letrozole and ulipristal acetate before hysteroscopic resection of uterine myomas: prospective comparative pilot study.

Objective: To compare the usefulness of preoperative treatment with triptorelin, letrozole or ulipristal acetate or no treatment before hysteroscopic removal of uterine submucosal myomas.

Study Design: Single center prospective non-randomized comparative pilot study. The study included consecutive premenopausal patients undergoing hysteroscopic resection of myomas graded as type 0, type 1 or type 2 according to the FIGO classification with diameter between 20 and 35 mm.

Oxaliplatin for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Oxaliplatin is an important drug in treatment of several solid tumors. Ovarian cancer (OC) is sensitive to chemotherapy and the overall response rate with primary therapy is about 75%. Unfortunately, 60 - 70% of patients experience recurrence requiring additional treatments and finally die of progressive disease within 5 years of the initial diagnosis.

Endometriosis: the effects of dienogest.

Introduction: Ectopic endometrial tissue is found in 2% to 6% of women of reproductive age, in up to 60% of those with dysmenorrhoea, and in up to 30% of women with subfertility, with a peak incidence at around 40 years of age. However, symptoms may not correlate with laparoscopic findings.

Methods And Outcomes: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of dienogest for the treatment of endometriosis? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to June 2014 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review).

Drug safety evaluation of ulipristal acetate in the treatment of uterine fibroids.

Introduction: Ulipristal acetate (UPA) is a selective progesterone-receptor modulator (SPRM). SPRMs are a new class of progesterone-receptor ligands that exert tissue selective agonist, antagonist or mixed agonist-antagonist activity in target cells. UPA inhibits the proliferation, induces apoptosis of leiomyoma cells in vitro and demonstrates potent progesterone antagonist activity in vitro and in vivo.

Intraoperative Transrectal Ultrasonography for Hysteroscopic Metroplasty: Feasibility and Safety.

The primary objective of this prospective comparative nonrandomized study was to assess the feasibility and safety of intraoperative transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) during hysteroscopic metroplasty (HM). The secondary objective of the study was to assess whether TRUS facilitates complete removal of the uterine septum. Septate uterus was diagnosed by 3-dimensional transvaginal ultrasonography (3D-TVS) and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Impaired increase of plasma abscisic Acid in response to oral glucose load in type 2 diabetes and in gestational diabetes.

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is present and active in humans, regulating glucose homeostasis. In normal glucose tolerant (NGT) human subjects, plasma ABA (ABAp) increases 5-fold after an oral glucose load. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an oral glucose load on ABAp in type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects.

Second surgery for recurrent unilateral endometriomas and impact on ovarian reserve: a case-control study.

Objective: To investigate the impact on ovarian reserve of second laparoscopic surgery for recurrent unilateral endometriomas.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: University teaching hospital.

Current opinion on bevacizumab on endometrial cancer treatment.

Introduction: Advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer is still a challenge for clinicians as it has a poor prognosis despite treatment efforts. Thus, there is an urgent need for new agents with activity in this subset of patients. The increased knowledge of the molecular aspects of endometrial carcinogenesis has led to the development of molecular targeted therapies and in particular anti-angiogenic drugs.

Dienogest in women with persistent endometriosis-related pelvic pain during norethisterone acetate treatment.

Objective: To evaluate patient satisfaction at 6-months dienogest (DNG) treatment in women with symptomatic rectovaginal endometriosis who had pain persistence and were unsatisfied after 6-months of norethisterone acetate (NETA) therapy.

Study Design: This 24-weeks pilot open-label prospective study enrolled 25 women. The main outcome was the degree of patient satisfaction measured by using a Likert scale.

Progestin-only contraception compared with extended combined oral contraceptive in women with migraine without aura: a retrospective pilot study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a desogestrel progestogen-only pill (POP) compared to continuous combined oral contraception (COC) on migraine patterns in women with migraine without aura.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis of prospective headache charts from migrainous women who used the POP or COC in our clinic between July 2009 and July 2013. The quality and quantity of migraine attacks and use of medications were evaluated at three and six months.

Preoperative treatment with letrozole in patients undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy of large uterine myomas: a prospective non-randomized study.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of preoperative treatment with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) in premenopausal women undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy of large uterine myomas.

Study Design: Prospective non-randomized assessor-blind comparative trial.

Results: This study included 80 patients undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy of large uterine myomas (≥8cm).

Dienogest in the treatment of endometriosis.

Introduction: Dienogest (DNG) is an oral progestin, derivative of 19-nortestosterone, that has recently been introduced for the treatment of endometriosis.

Areas Covered: This review examines the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of DNG in the treatment of endometriosis. The material included in the current manuscript was searched and obtained via Medline, Pubmed and EMBASE, from inception until February 2014.

Progestogen-only contraceptive pill compared with combined oral contraceptive in the treatment of pain symptoms caused by endometriosis in patients with migraine without aura.

Objective: Evaluate patient satisfaction at 6-month treatment in women with symptomatic rectovaginal endometriosis and migraine without aura with (progestogen-only contraceptive pill, POP versus sequential combined oral contraceptives, COC) STUDY DESIGN: A patient preference trial including 144 women (82 in the group COC and 62 in the group POP). Main outcome measure was the degree of patient satisfaction by using a Likert scale. Secondary objectives were to evaluate differences in endometriosis-related pain and changes in migraine features during the treatment.

Triptorelin for the treatment of endometriosis.

Introduction: Over the past 30 years, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) have been used to induce a hypoestrogenic status in women with endometriosis with the aim to cause an improvement in pain symptoms similar to that observed after menopause. Triptorelin is one of the most commonly used GnRH-a.

Areas Covered: This review offers an explanation of the mechanism of action, of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of triptorelin and gives the readers a complete overview of the studies on the clinical efficacy, tolerability and safety of this agent in patients with endometriosis.

Aromatase and endometriosis: estrogens play a role.

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease defined by the growth of endometrial stroma and glands outside of the uterus. Epidemiological and clinical studies show that estrogen is essential for the growth of endometriosis. There are several molecular links between estrogen production and inflammation in endometriosis.