Hormone therapy for patients with endometriosis: status update on the problem (literature review)

The article is devoted to the extremely pressing issue of the treatment of endometriosis, which is the object of a thorough study by scientists around the world. There is no drug that is 100% effective against endometrioid heterotopias and has no pronounced side effects either in our country, or abroad. In addition, the quality of evidence base generated on the basis of randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness of drug therapy for endometriosis is not sufficient in terms of research methodology.

The Russian clinical guidelines for the management of endometriosis postulate that operational intervention is the main stage in the treatment of this disease. The treatment of endometriosis is aimed to remove the endometriotic lesion, reduce pain intensity, treat infertility, prevent progression or recurrences of the disease.

There is currently no universal drug therapy for endometriosis, and the drug therapy used to treat it is nonspecific and primarily aims to reduce the severity of existing symptoms. The drug therapy for endometriosis is chosen on case-by-case basis, depending on the extent of the disease, clinical symptoms and the patient’s needs. In addition to the above, the choice of hormone therapy for endometriosis should take into account the efficacy of a drug, its individual tolerance, the cost of treatment, the doctor’s experience in using this drug, the patient’s compliance with the doctor’s recommendations.

The article presents possible algorithms for choosing strategies in the treatment of endometriosis using surgical and pharmaceutical methods. The authors discussed the principles and mechanisms of action of hormonal drugs intended for the treatment of endometriosis. The review and analysis of modern clinical data on the problem of treatment of endometriosis is presented.

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