[Clinical usefulness of GnRH agonist therapy for premenopausal women with uterine leiomyoma].

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tumor volume reducing effect and the frequency with which menopause is induced in premenopausal women with leiomyoma uteri treated with GnRHa buserelin, 900 micrograms/day for 24 weeks. Twenty-six women, whose average age was 49.7 +/- 2.1 years (Mean +/- SD), were enrolled in this study. Uterine and myoma volume were measured by computed tomography (CT) and transvaginal sonography, respectively. Mean uterine and myoma volume had decreased by 33.7% and 39.9%, respectively at 24 weeks of GnRHa therapy. Nine patients were brought to menopause following the treatment. This rate (34.6%) is significantly higher than that of the age matched control group (11.8%), at eighteen months' observation without GnRHa treatment. We conclude that GnRHa treatment for premenopausal women with uterine leiomyoma causes not only temporary ovarian suppression but also has a strong tendency to induce menopause.