A randomized comparative study of the metabolic effects of two regimens of gestrinone in the treatment of endometriosis

To study some of the metabolic effects of oral gestrinone on plasma lipoprotein risk markers for cardiovascular disease and on bone density, a risk marker for osteoporosis. Randomized double-blind study. All patients were referred to Gynaecology Clinic of Royal Free Hospital Medical School. Twenty premenopausal women with laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis. Subjects were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either 1.25mg or 2.5mg gestrinone two times per week for 6 months. Laparoscopy was performed before treatment, and clinical responses were determined by second laparoscopy after 6 months. Plasma lipid and bone density measurements during and after therapy were compared with baseline. Median total endometriosis scores decreased from 7.5 to 1.0 in the 1.25-mg group and from 7.0 to 0 in the 2.5-mg group. There were no significant between-group differences in endometriosis scores. At both doses, bone density in the spine and the proximal femur was conserved, but plasma concentrations of low-density lipoproteins rose by 13% and those of high-density lipoproteins fell by 40%. Reducing the dose of gestrinone to 1.25mg appeared to maintain the therapeutic effectiveness of this treatment but was still associated with potentially unfavorable effects on lipids and lipoproteins.