Use of GnRH depot analogue in the treatment of uterine fibroids.

Twelve patients with symptomatic uterine fibroid were treated with Goserelin acetate, a depot Gn-RH analogue administered s.c. in a dosage of 3.6 mg every 28 days for a 6 month period. Mean age of the patients was 39 (26-47). A menopausal-like state, evidenced by hot flushes, depression, vaginal dryness, hysteroscopic endometrial atrophy, and hormonal values (FSH, LH, E2), was seen in all patients. After only two months of treatment, a significant reduction was noted in the size of the fibroid, being even greater than that in the following four months. Only one patient in the series underwent surgery. General tolerability of the drug was optimal. These data suggest the efficiency of this type of treatment in obtaining a significant reduction of fibroid volume as well as subjective symptomatology. The cost-benefit ratio is optimal, allowing postponement of surgery and the possibility of vaginal, as opposed to abdominal, hysterectomy and affronting problems of anaesthesiology and post-operative recovery for patients "at risk".