Symptom-alleviating effect and adverse effect of dienogest in Korean women with endometriosis

The purpose was to evaluate the effects of dienogest on Korean women with endometriosis. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted for 100 premenopausal women. They had taken or were taking 2 mg of dienogest daily. We assessed the pelvic pain score and quality-of-life (QOL) score before and after taking dienogest as well as the prevalence of short-term (≤12 weeks) and long-term adverse effects (>52 weeks). Patients were classified into three groups: dienogest treatment immediately following surgery (A), dienogest treatment for a recurrence of endometriosis after surgery (B), or dienogest treatment without any surgery (C). In groups A and C, the median pain score (from 5 to 0, p <.001; from 7 to 1.5, p <.001) and median QOL score (from 10 to 5, p = .002; from 7.5 to 6.5, p = .008) were significantly decreased. Irregular bleeding and decreased menstrual flow were more prevalent in patients with dienogest intake of fewer than 12 weeks, while amenorrhea, weight gain, hair loss, and dorsal pain were more prevalent in patients with dienogest treatment of over 52 weeks. Accordingly, proper counseling is necessary when prescribing dienogest.