Painful Love: Superficial Dyspareunia and Three Dimensional Transperineal Ultrasound Evaluation of Pelvic Floor Muscle in Women with Endometriosis.

We conducted an observational study between March 2015 and March 2018 in our academic center. Symptomatic, sexually active women with clinical and sonographic diagnosis of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) or isolated ovarian endometriosis were enrolled. Women were asked to rank endometriosis-related symptoms, especially superficial and deep dyspareunia. Moreover, 3D transperineal ultrasound was performed to assess the levator hiatus area (LHA) evaluating pelvic floor muscle (PFM) morphometry. Women with endometriosis seem to have a high prevalence of superficial dyspareunia and three-dimensional transperineal ultrasound seems to be a viable technique to assess PFM morphometry in these women.

Liver function, tolerability and satisfaction during treatment with ulipristal acetate in women with fibroids: a single center experience.

The aim of the study was to evaluate liver function in women treated with ulipristal acetate (UPA) and to assess the tolerability and satisfaction during treatment. This Cross-sectional study included women with symptomatic uterine fibroids subjected to one or more 3-month treatment courses of 5 mg UPA daily. Following European Medical Agency's prescriptions, women were asked about symptoms potentially related to liver damage and had blood tests done, to assess serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Data on side effects, tolerability and satisfaction with the therapy were obtained during a phone interview. A total of 162 women completed the study with a mean treatment duration of 1.8 ± 0.9 cycles. No increased AST and ALT serum levels were detected and no woman reported symptoms suggestive of liver injury. The majority of women reported improvement of fibroids-related symptoms and a high degree of satisfaction with treatment. More than half of women had side effects, in most cases not as severe as to discontinue therapy. Ulipristal acetate did not worsen liver function or cause severe organ injury and showed high tolerability and satisfaction profiles. Therefore, we believe that it can still be considered a valuable option in the treatment of uterine fibroids.

Role of a natural integrator based on lipoic acid, palmitoiletanolamide and myrrh in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain occur in a significantly higher percentage in women with endometriosis; this benign condition has an incidence ranging from 5% to 10% in the general population, while 35% to 50% of infertile women are affected. Treatment of the symptoms demands integrated approaches with the use of anti-inflammatory substances or drugs and lifestyle changes, including attention to diet. The use of traditional anti-inflammatory drugs over the long term is not very successful because of the fear of side effects so they are almost always used with a short-term formula of 7-10 days when the woman's general condition becomes difficult to bear. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to natural substances with recognized anti-inflammatory activities that, associated with one another, are able to synergize individual actions. A nutraceutical containing substances capable of fighting chronic pelvic pain has recently been put on the market. The possible action mechanism derives from a synergy of action between alpha-lipoic acid, palmitoiletanolamide (PEA) and myrrh (Pelvinox, Laborest Italia srl, Nerviano, Milan, Italy), whose action is so effective that it is able to replace the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of these active ingredients in women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. METHODS: This multicenter study saw the recruitment of 60 women (divided between the three centers participating in the study, Siena, Bologna and Udine) aged between 20 and 39 suffering from endometriosis (ovarian) and chronic pelvic pain. All the women took one nutraceutical (Pelvinox) at a dose of two tablets per day for 6 months. RESULTS: The results showed a significant reduction in pain symptoms as regards dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain, while there was no change in the mean diameter of the endometriosis cysts. CONCLUSIONS: In light of the above, it is believed that substances such as alpha-lipoic acid, PEA and myrrh may play a very important role in this type of patient in the treatment of individual symptoms.

Transvaginal and transperineal ultrasound follow-up after laparoscopic correction of uterine retrodisplacement in women with posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis.

BACKGROUND: Retrodisplacement of the uterus (retroflexion and/or retroversion) may be associated with pelvic pain symptoms and posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). Previous studies in symptomatic women with retrodisplacement of the uterus showed the efficacy of hysteropexy in terms of pain symptoms improvement. AIM: To evaluate sonographic, clinical and surgical outcomes of a hysteropexy technique MATERIALS AND METHODS: Laparoscopic round ligament plication and tilting of the uterine fundus in women with uterine retrodisplacement and posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis was performed. Forty-two symptomatic women were enrolled and the sonographic data of each (angle of uterine version and uterine flexion, uterine mobility) was assessed before and after surgery with transvaginal and transperineal approaches. Women were also evaluated at 1, 6 and 12 months after surgery for pain symptoms with a numerical rating scale (dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain), intraoperative data and surgical complications. RESULTS: The additional mean operative time of hysteropexy procedure was 8 ± 3 min. At early follow-up both the uterine angles were significantly (P < 0.001) reduced. At 12-month follow-up, seven patients (16.7%) presented a retroverted uterus, while 12 (28.6%) presented a retroflexed uterus; the sliding sign remained negative in four patients (9.5%). A significant improvement of symptoms (P < 0.001) was observed during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic hysteropexy appears as an effective additional surgical procedure, which can temporarily correct the uterine position in order to reduce the risk of postoperative adhesions.

Sexual function in women undergoing surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis: a comparison with healthy women.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a chronic and progressive condition of women of reproductive age. It is strongly associated with significant impairment of sexual function. AIM: To objectively evaluate the impact of laparoscopic excision of endometriosis on sexual function in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) compared to healthy women. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective study, including 250 patients with a diagnosis of DIE scheduled for laparoscopic surgery and 250 healthy women. METHODS: A sexual activity questionnaire, SHOW-Q (Sexual Health Outcomes in Women Questionnaire), was used to collect data pertaining to women's satisfaction, orgasm, desire and pelvic problem interference with sexual function. Women with DIE underwent complete excision of endometriotic lesions. All participants were asked to complete the SHOW-Q questionnaire before and after surgery. RESULTS: SHOW-Q scores in the endometriosis group before and 6 months after surgery were compared with the healthy group scores. A significant improvement was found between pre- and post-treatment in the scores of the satisfaction scale, desire scale and pelvic problem interference scale of SHOW-Q. The distribution of post-surgery SHOW-Q scores was comparable to healthy women's scores apart from the orgasm scale score, which was unchanged in the post-surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical approach to treatment has a positive impact not only on organ impairment but also on sexual function in women affected by DIE.

Sexual function in women undergoing surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis: a comparison with healthy women.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a chronic and progressive condition of women of reproductive age. It is strongly associated with significant impairment of sexual function. AIM: To objectively evaluate the impact of laparoscopic excision of endometriosis on sexual function in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) compared to healthy women. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective study, including 250 patients with a diagnosis of DIE scheduled for laparoscopic surgery and 250 healthy women. METHODS: A sexual activity questionnaire, SHOW-Q (Sexual Health Outcomes in Women Questionnaire), was used to collect data pertaining to women's satisfaction, orgasm, desire and pelvic problem interference with sexual function. Women with DIE underwent complete excision of endometriotic lesions. All participants were asked to complete the SHOW-Q questionnaire before and after surgery. RESULTS: SHOW-Q scores in the endometriosis group before and 6 months after surgery were compared with the healthy group scores. A significant improvement was found between pre- and post-treatment in the scores of the satisfaction scale, desire scale and pelvic problem interference scale of SHOW-Q. The distribution of post-surgery SHOW-Q scores was comparable to healthy women's scores apart from the orgasm scale score, which was unchanged in the post-surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical approach to treatment has a positive impact not only on organ impairment but also on sexual function in women affected by DIE.

The role of ovarian suspension in endometriosis surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: A very high percentage of patients with severe pelvic endometriosis develop adhesions after laparoscopic surgery. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the role of ovarian suspension performed during surgery for severe endometriosis on ovarian adhesions and postoperative pelvic pain. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial (Canadian Task Force classification I). SETTING: The tertiary care University Hospital of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. PATIENTS: Eighty patients with ovarian and posterior deep infiltrating endometriosis were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Patients underwent laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis and were randomized sequentially into 2 groups: transient ovarian suspension was performed in the treatment group (n = 40), whereas in the control group (n = 40) ovaries were left free in the pelvis. Symptom intensity (dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, dyschezia, and dysuria) were ranked using a visual analog scale. Postsurgical ovarian adhesions were evaluated using transvaginal ultrasonographic scans performed by an ultrasound operator who was blinded to the details of the operative procedure and women's randomization allocation. Complications, lesion localization, endometrioma diameter, and surgery time were recorded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: At follow-up, a significantly lower rate of ultrasound-detectable ovarian adhesions with the uterus and the bowel was observed in the treatment group, respectively (46.7% vs 77.3%, p = .003 and 26.7% vs 68.2%, p < .0005). Patients in the control group showed a higher percentage of fixed ovaries with moderate and severe adhesions than the treatment group, respectively (56.8% vs 28.9%, p = .003 and 20.5% vs 8.9%, p = .110). No differences between the 2 groups were found regarding complications and pelvic pain. CONCLUSION: Ovarian suspension seems to be an additional effective surgical procedure associated with an increased ovarian mobility in women treated for severe endometriosis. Moreover, it is feasible, safe, simple, and fast. Hence, it should be routinely used during laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis.