GnRH Agonists and Antagonists in Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Therapy

In: Endometriosis and Adenomyosis · 2022 · pp. 577–591 · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-97236-3_43 · W4285124578
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This chapter reviews the use of GnRH agonists and antagonists to suppress ovarian estrogen production for treating endometriosis and adenomyosis.

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This paper/chapter discusses the rationale and therapeutic use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists and antagonists for estrogen suppression in estrogen-dependent disorders, focusing on how GnRH agonists inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis and how GnRH antagonists were later developed to achieve similar suppression. It provides an overview rather than presenting original study results, synthesizing evidence and approaches across the literature, with references to trials and background science. The major limitation stated implicitly by the format is that it is not an empirical study and does not provide new quantitative outcomes within the text provided. This paper is centrally about endometriosis and adenomyosis therapy — it specifically reviews how GnRH agonists and antagonists are used to manage these conditions by suppressing circulating estrogen.

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Abstract

Endometriosis and adenomyosis are estrogen dependent disorders and hence, one of the major pillars in their medical management has been to suppress circulating estrogen levels. Given that the primary source of premenopausal endogenous estrogen is estradiol production from the ovaries, the principal mechanism for estrogen suppression has been through inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis with GnRH agonists. Over the last 15–20 years, GnRH antagonists have also been developed for this purpose. This chapter will provide an overview of the use of GnRH agonists and antagonists for the treatment of endometriosis and adenomyosis. Access this chapter We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly. Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem. Similar content being viewed by others Change history 10 September 2022 Correction to:

References

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Longt-term outcomes of elagolix in women with endometriosis: results from two extension studies. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;132(1):147–60. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000002675. Author information Authors and Affiliations Corresponding author Editor information Editors and Affiliations Rights and permissions Copyright information © 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG About this chapter Cite this chapter Anglin, H.P., Foster, W.G., Agarwal, S.K. (2022). GnRH Agonists and Antagonists in Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Therapy. In: Oral, E. (eds) Endometriosis and Adenomyosis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97236-3_43 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97236-3_43 Published: Publisher Name: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-030-97235-6 Online ISBN: 978-3-030-97236-3 eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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