Medical therapy of endometriosis to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Endometriosis is a common, benign and chronic gynecologic disorder. It is an estrogen dependent disease that can cause pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and infertility. Because of its high rate of recurrence, medication after surgery is inevitable. GnRH agonist, Danazol, progestogen and oral contraceptive have been conventionally used for the medical treatment of endometriosis. However, systemic side effects of those agents restrict their usage as long-term management. Increasing knowledge about the pathogenesis of endometriosis has introduced new agents which were more targeted and specified for the prevention of recurrence of endometriosis.