The Cochrane database of systematic reviews

BACKGROUND: Low-dose aspirin is sometimes used to improve the outcome in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation, despite inconsistent evidence of efficacy and the potential risk of significant side affects. The most appropriate time to com…

BACKGROUND: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is an important cause of ill health in premenopausal women. Although surgery is often used as a treatment, a range of medical therapies are also available. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs redu…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition which affects many women of reproductive age worldwide and is a major cause of pain and infertility. The modern oral contraceptive pill is widely used to treat pain occurring as…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is the finding of endometrial glands or stroma in sites other than the uterine cavity. Endometriosis appears to be an oestrogen dependent condition. This hormonal dependency has prompted the therapeutic use of ovul…

BACKGROUND: Approximately 15% to 25% of all hospitalised patients have indwelling urethral catheters, mainly to assist clinicians to accurately monitor urine output during acute illness or following surgery, to treat urinary retention, and …

BACKGROUND: The surgical management of ovarian tumors in pregnancy is similar to that of non-pregnant women. The procedures include resection of the tumor (enucleation), removal of an ovary or ovaries (oophorectomy), or surgical excision of…

BACKGROUND: Various options exist for treating endometriosis, including ovarian suppression therapy, surgical treatment or a combination of these strategies. Surgical treatment of endometriosis sets out to remove visible areas of endometrio…

BACKGROUND: Women with endometriosis who are treated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have a lower pregnancy rate compared to women with tubal factor infertility. It has been suggested that the ad…

BACKGROUND: Heavy bleeding and pain are the most common reasons why women discontinue IUDs. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, have been shown to be effective in reducing menstrual bleeding and pai…

BACKGROUND: Functional ovarian cysts are a common gynecological problem among women of reproductive age worldwide. When large, persistent, or painful, these cysts may require operations, sometimes resulting in removal of the ovary. Since ea…

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhoea refers to the occurrence of painful menstrual cramps of uterine origin and is a common gynaecological condition. One possible treatment is spinal manipulation therapy. One hypothesis is that mechanical dysfunction …

BACKGROUND: Since the introduction of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) tubal surgery has been less frequently undertaken as a technique to improve fertility in women with damaged fallopian tubes. There are various surgical techniques that can b…

BACKGROUND: The avoidance of menstruation through extended or continuous administration (greater than 28 days of active pills) of combination oral contraceptives (COCs) has gained legitimacy through its use in treating endometriosis, dysmen…

BACKGROUND: Endometriomata are endometriotic deposits within the ovary. The surgical management of these blood filled cysts is controversial. The laparoscopic approach to the management of endometriomata is favoured for as it offers the adv…

BACKGROUND: The postcoital test has poor diagnostic and prognostic characteristics. Nevertheless, some physicians believe it can identify scanty or abnormal mucus that might impair fertility. One way to avoid 'hostile' cervical mucus is int…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition that affects women and can lead to painful symptoms and infertility. It affects women's quality of life greatly, impacting on their careers, everyday activities, sexual and non-…

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhoea is the occurrence of painful menstrual cramps of uterine origin and is a very common gynaecological complaint with negative effect on a sufferer's quality of life. Medical therapy for dysmenorrhoea includes oral co…

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, the most commonly used method of fertility regulation is tubal sterilisation. In developed countries sterilisation is generally performed by laparoscopy rather than by minilaparotomy, based on the belief that this app…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition which affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age (Askenazi 1997). There is a range of symptoms and most commonly women present with dysmenorrhoea, pelvic pain, infer…

BACKGROUND: Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHas) are generally well tolerated, and are effective in relieving the symptoms of endometriosis (Prentice 2003). Unfortunately the low oestrogen state that they induce is associated …

BACKGROUND: Chronic pelvic pain is common in women in the reproductive age group and it causes disability and distress and results in significant costs to health services. The pathogenesis of chronic pelvic pain is poorly understood. Often,…

BACKGROUND: Although the etiology of endometriosis is unknown, several theories exist, the most popular of which is retrograde menstruation. As endometriosis can only be diagnosed by laparoscopy, neither the incidence (annual occurrence) no…

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is the finding of endometrial glands or stroma in sites other than the uterine cavity. Endometriosis appears to be an estrogen dependent condition. This hormonal dependency has prompted the therapeutic use of ovula…

BACKGROUND: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is an important cause of ill health in pre menopausal women. Medical therapy, with the avoidance of possibly unnecessary surgery is an attractive treatment option, but there is considerable variati…

BACKGROUND: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a significant health problem in premenopausal women that can reduce quality of life and cause anaemia. First line therapy has traditionally been medical therapy but this is not always completely…