A prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing two doses of oestrogen therapy after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis to prevent intrauterine adhesion recurrence

Abstract

The aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of different doses of oestrogen treatment (2 mg and 6 mg daily) after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis in patients with moderate to severe adhesion according to the American Fertility Society (AFS) classification of intrauterine adhesions. A total of 121 patients were included in the final analysis. Fifty-nine patients received 2 mg oestrogen daily (low-dose group), and 62 received 6 mg oestrogen daily (high-dose group) for three cycles after surgery. Second- and third-look outpatient hysteroscopy was performed 4 and 8 weeks after the initial surgery. There was no difference in the menstrual pattern and AFS scores before and after surgery between the two groups, and AFS scores at the second- and third-look hysteroscopy were found to be significantly lower than the scores before surgery in both groups (both P < 0.01). While this study did not address the fundamental question of whether oestrogen adjuvant therapy prevents the recurrence of intrauterine adhesions, the findings do not support the use of high-dose oestrogen therapy after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis.

Keywords: Asherman's syndrome; Hysteroscopic adhesiolysis; Intrauterine adhesion; Oestrogen therapy.