Comparison of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device versus expectant management after conservative surgery for symptomatic endometriosis: a pilot study

Paolo Vercellini, Frontino G, Giada Frontino, Olga De Giorgi, Aimi G, Giorgio Aimi, Zaina B, Barbara Zàina, Barbara Zaina, Pier Giorgio Crosignani, Crosignani PG
Fertility and sterility · 2003 · vol. 80(2) , pp. 305–309 · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(03)00608-3 · PMID:12909492 · W2070996255
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 198 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This pilot study compared the effectiveness of a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device to expectant management following conservative surgery for symptomatic endometriosis.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine whether the frequency and severity of dysmenorrhea are reduced in women with symptomatic endometriosis in whom a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (Lng-IUD) is inserted after operative laparoscopy compared with those treated with surgery only.DesignOpen-label, parallel-group, randomized, controlled trial.SettingA tertiary care and referral center for patients with endometriosis.Patients(s)Parous women with moderate or severe dysmenorrhea undergoing first-line operative laparoscopy for symptomatic endometriosis.Intervention(s)Randomization to immediate Lng-IUD insertion or expectant management after laparoscopic treatment of endometriotic lesions. Proportions of women with recurrence of moderate or severe dysmenorrhea in the two study groups 1 year after surgery and overall degree of satisfaction with treatment. Moderate or severe dysmenorrhea recurred in 2 of 20 (10%) subjects in the postoperative Lng-IUD group and 9/20 (45%) in the surgery-only group. Thus, a medicated device inserted postoperatively will prevent the recurrence of moderate or severe dysmenorrhea in one out of three patients 1 year after surgery. A total of 15/20 (75%) women in the Lng-IUD group and 10/20 (50%) in the expectant management group were satisfied or very satisfied with the treatment received.Conclusion(s)Insertion of an Lng-IUD after laparoscopic surgery for symptomatic endometriosis significantly reduced the medium-term risk of recurrence of moderate or severe dysmenorrhea.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

dysmenorrheaendometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Dysmenorrhea Endometriosis Endometriosis Intrauterine Devices, Medicated Levonorgestrel Postoperative Care Progesterone Congeners Adult Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Levonorgestrel Patient Satisfaction Pilot Projects Progesterone Congeners Secondary Prevention

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (17)

Cited by (50)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-08-26T06:08:41.316361+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:12:50.257867+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-08-26T06:23:03.089193+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK