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Evidence summaries

Oral Contraceptives for Functional Ovarian Cysts

Oral contraceptives appear to be of no benefit in the treatment of ovarian cysts as compared to watchful waiting. Level of evidence: "B"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 8 trials involving a total of 686 women. Treatment with combined oral contraceptives did not hasten resolution of functional ovarian cysts in any trial. This held true for cysts that occurred spontaneously as well as those that developed after ovulation induction. Most cysts resolved without treatment within a few cycles; persistent cysts tended to be pathological (e.g., endometrioma or para-ovarian cyst) and not physiological.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).

    References

    • Grimes DA, Jones LB, Lopez LM et al. Oral contraceptives for functional ovarian cysts. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;(9):CD006134 (Last assessed as up-to-date: 5 June 2011). [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords