Long-term Effects of Mifepristone in the Treatment of Non-radical Postoperative Endometriosis and its Impact on Sex hormones

Objective To explore long-term effects of low-dose mifepristone in non-radical postoperativeendometriosis patients and its impact on sex hormones. Methods 200 cases of endometriosis who underwent non-radical laparoscopic surgery were included in the study. Continuous treatment of oral mifepristone was given to those patients for 6 months(25 mg/d for 3 months and then 12.5 mg/d for another 3 months). B-ultrasound and pelvic examination were conducted before treatment, 3 months and 6 months after medication, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after discontinuation of treatment respectively. Peripheral blood was collected to evaluate the changes of sex hormones. Results The overall effectiveness after 6 months treatment was 95.5% (191/200). Normal menstruation was resumed 1 month after the discontinuation of treatment. 6 cases relapsed within 6 months, and 27 cases relapsed within 1 year after the discontinuation of treatment respectively ( 6/191,3.1%;27/191,14.1%). After oral administration of mifepristone, serum E2 decreased to the mid-follicular levels. Serum FSH and PRL levels remained unchanged( P ＞ 0.05 ). Serum progesterone levels decreased significantly after treatment ( P ＜ 0.05 ). LH increased insignificantly ( P ＞ 0.05 ). Conclusion Continuous use of low-dose mifepristone can improve long-term effects of non-radical postoperative endometriosis. Reversible changes are expected in menses and serum sex hormone levels. The treatment is safe and its adverse effects are scares. Key words: Endometriosis;  Mifepristone;  Sex hormones