Is a GnRH agonist useful?
Treatment of myomas with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist does not improve fertility but may be helpful before surgery in anemic women and in those who might be able to undergo a less invasive procedure if the myoma volume were moderately smaller.
Sequence of infertility treatments is critical in endometriosis patients
Adamson G. Management of endometriosis and infertility following surgery. In: Sutton C, Jones K, Adamson GD, eds. Modern Management of Endometriosis. London: Taylor & Francis; 2006:273–287.
New data make it easier to treat infertility in women thought to have endometriosis, although further randomized trials are needed. If other fertility variables are normal, and minimal to mild endometriosis is suspected but not confirmed, clomiphene citrate, 100 mg on cycle days 3 through 7, followed by intrauterine insemination (IUI) for 3 to 6 cycles, is a reasonable initial treatment, with the higher number of cycles being reserved for younger patients and those who have a better prognosis.
When is surgery helpful?
Diagnostic or operative laparoscopy, or both, is often indicated when one or more of the following are present:
- The patient experiences pain
- She fails to conceive after clomiphene citrate is administered and IUI is attempted for 3 to 6 cycles
- She has other factors associated with infertility.
Generally, if pregnancy does not occur within 9 to 15 months after surgery, repeat surgery is of limited benefit for infertility, but may have some benefit for pain. In women who do not conceive after surgery, ovarian suppression for 2 months is of possible benefit before assisted reproductive technology (ART) and should be considered in patients who are also suffering from pain. Pre-ART surgery for large endometriomas is frequently indicated, and excision of the cyst capsule produces results superior to those of drainage, coagulation, or both.
Postoperative management
After complete destruction of endometriosis in women who have infertility, ovarian suppression is not indicated. Rather, the patient should usually attempt to conceive for 9 to 15 months, with an outside range of 3 to 24 months for much older women who have an unfavorable prognosis, and for much younger women who have a good prognosis, respectively. If pregnancy does not occur, clomiphene citrate and IUI for 3 to 6 months are then indicated.
If this last strategy is unsuccessful, the options include:
- gonadotropins and IUI for 3 months to a maximum of 6 months in the young patient who has a good prognosis
- repeat laparoscopy (although this option is rare), possibly in conjunction with gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), or, alternatively, in vitro fertilization (IVF). If the patient had a technically inadequate operation the first time, it sometimes is appropriate to repeat the surgery or go directly to IVF.
Consider tubal reconstruction in carefully selected patients
Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The role of tubal reconstructive surgery in the era of assisted reproductive technologies. Fertil Steril. 2008;90(5 Suppl):S250–S253.
In the era of ART, tubal reconstruction has fewer indications but is still appropriate and effective in properly selected individuals.
Determine the extent of tubal disease before reconstructive surgery
Hysterosalpingography is a useful initial test for the evaluation of tubal patency, but laparoscopy often is necessary to identify the nature and extent of pelvic disease. Selective salpingography or hysteroscopic tubal recanalization can help confirm the diagnosis of true proximal tubal occlusion.
Advise the patient of risks of surgery
Generally, the risk of ectopic pregnancy after tubal reconstruction is comparable to the risk of ectopic pregnancy associated with IVF, but the extent of tubal disease and pelvic pathology are important variables in predicting intrauterine and ectopic pregnancy rates.
The pregnancy rate after reversal of tubal sterilization depends on 1) the type of sterilization procedure that was performed, 2) site of anastomosis, and 3) postoperative tubal length, as well as 4) sperm quality and 5) the age of the female patient.
Maternal age, number of children desired, coexisting infertility variables, risk of ectopic and multiple pregnancy, and treatment cost are important considerations when counseling patients about the relative advantages and disadvantages of tubal surgery and IVF.
IVF is the best treatment for older women of reproductive age who have significant tubal pathology, and for women who have both proximal and distal occlusion.
Age, and duration of infertility, are key determinants of treatment
Committee on Gynecologic Practice of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Age-related fertility decline: a Committee Opinion. Fertil Steril. 2008;90(5 Suppl):S154–S155.