Endocrine effects of laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery in patients with polycystic ovarian disease, resistant to clomiphene citrate.

Endocrine responses to laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery were studied in 14 patients with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), resistant to clomiphene citrate. Patients who did not conceive within 6 months of treatment were evaluated for up to that period. Testosterone and androstenedione levels decreased after electrocautery in a way which is comparable with the reduction in androgens after wedge resection of the ovary. Androstenedione levels tended to return to pretreatment values at 6 months; four of the five pregnancies were achieved within this period. The reduction in androgens may break the vicious circle of PCOD, and lead to normal menstrual cycles.