A Trial of Norethisterone Acetate and Expectant Management in Treatment of Simple Ovarian Cysts

Randomized Control Trial Between Norethisterone Acetate and Expectant Management in Treatment of Simple Ovarian Cysts

To compare the effectiveness of (norethisterone acetate) in the treatment of spontaneously occurring simple ovarian cyst detected by ultrasonography compared with expectant management.

An ovarian cyst is a sac filled with liquid or semiliquid material that arises in an ovary. The number of diagnoses of ovarian cysts has increased with the widespread implementation of regular physical examinations and ultrasonographic technology.

The discovery of an ovarian cyst causes considerable anxiety in women who fears of malignancy, but the majority of ovarian cysts are benign.

These cysts can develop in females at any stage of life, from the neonatal period to postmenopause. Most ovarian cysts, occur during adolescence, which are hormonally active periods of development.

Most are functional in nature and some times resolve without treatment. However, ovarian cysts can herald an underlying malignant process or, possibly, distract the clinician from a more dangerous condition, such as ectopic pregnancy, ovarian torsion, or appendicitis.

When ovarian cysts are large, persistent, painful, or have concerning radiographic or exam findings, surgery may be required, sometimes resulting in removal of the ovary. If a cyst does not resolve after several menstrual cycles, it is unlikely to be a functional cyst, and further workup is indicated.

Early epidemiological studies reported an inverse relationship between use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and surgically confirmed functional cysts . Many previous studies have indicated that the use of Oral Contraceptive pills (OC) is associated with a lower risk of occurrence of functional ovarian cysts. few studies have considered the treatment effect of OC on functional ovarian cysts. In current clinical practice, gynecologists treat functional ovarian cysts with either OC or expectant management alone. Several randomized controlled trials have shown no significant difference in the resolution of functional ovarian cysts treated with OC over expectant management alone Functional ovarian cyst can occur due to estrogen hyperstimulaton and some theories conceoted that progesterone treatment can suppress this cyst .

Inclusion Criteria:

1. women at age 24-49 years old
2. women with simple cyst.( with none of the following: solid parts, papillary formations, peritoneal masses, intraabdominal lymph node enlargement or ascites ) .(13)
3. from 5 to10cm in diameter.
4. functioning cyst.( defined as largest dimension between 2-8 cm in diameter, unilateral, uniloculated, thin-walled, anechogenic and has distal acoustic enhancement )

Exclusion Criteria:

1. premenarche
2. postmenopause
3. current user of Norethisterone acetate.
4. those having contraindication from Norethisterone use.
5. gynecologic malignancy