One of the treatments prescribed by doctors for endometriosis is currently oral contraceptives. Administered continuously and in various compositions, they attempt to suppress menstrual flow to prevent the development of endometrial lesions.
Endometriosis is not a condition that can be easily treated, at least not at this moment, through many methods. Therefore, it is advisable that when using a particular treatment, we do so with full awareness, consulting the doctor who prescribed it regarding the potential side effects and the supplements that may be recommended to counteract these effects.
Some oral contraceptives contain Dienogest. This is a synthetic hormone (progesterone) found in various combinations on the market: one of them being estradiol valerate, and contraceptives containing this combination can be Natazia and Qlaira. Dienogest combined with ethinylestradiol is found in contraceptives like Valette, while standalone, it can be found in Visanne and Dinagest.
Some of the side effects of Dienogest are those produced by progesterone: weight gain, tension, breast tenderness, and nausea. However, a recent study published by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Medicine in South Korea shows that long-term treatment with Dienogest, when administered post-operatively in endometriosis, affects bone tissue density.
The study involved 60 women of reproductive age who had undergone various endometriosis surgeries. They were given 2mg of Dienogest/day for a year to prevent endometriosis recurrence. Bone mineral density was measured in these patients before and after Dienogest treatment using X-ray absorptiometry.
The average age of the patients was 30.5 years, and the average duration of Dienogest treatment was 18.6 months. Thus, according to the measurements, spinal bone density decreased by 2.2% in 6 months and by 2.7% after a year. The proportion of patients affected by Dienogest was 75% of those who participated in this study. Furthermore, changes in femoral neck density represented a loss of 2.8% of bone density after a year of Dienogest treatment. The study shows that after 2 years of Dienogest administration, the treatment changes do not differ from those recorded in the first year.
In conclusion, the Korean study suggests that long-term treatment with Dienogest-prescribed post-endometriosis surgeries may have adverse effects on bone density. Bone mineral depreciation occurs in the first six months of treatment. Therefore, as endometriosis still does not have a wide range of treatments, and the existing ones are often based on Dienogest, it is necessary to consult the doctor regarding the potential adverse effects that contraceptive treatment may generate and to develop together with them a scheme that can supplement, if necessary, through vitamins and minerals, this depreciation of bone density.