Efficacy of danazol treatment for minimal endometriosis in infertile women. A prospective, randomized study

Abstract

We compared pregnancy rates between a danazol-treated and an untreated group of infertile women with minimal endometriosis. After completion of a basic infertility workup and laparoscopy, women with minimal endometriosis were entered into the study and randomly selected to receive either a six-month course of danazol or no treatment at all. Those patients with other infertility factors were included in the study only if the factors were correctable and ultimately determined to be noncontributory. Life-table analysis was used to compare pregnancy rates between the two groups over a 12-month period that started immediately after laparoscopy in the untreated group and after completion of danazol therapy in the treated group. The cumulative pregnancy rate (+/- SEM) was 37.2 +/- 8.4% in the danazol group (n = 37) and 57.4 +/- 10.4% in the untreated group (n = 36) (NS, P greater than .10). This prospective, randomized study showed danazol to be ineffective in improving pregnancy rates over doing nothing at all in patients with minimal endometriosis.