Impact of six months of GnRH agonist therapy for endometriosis. Is there an age-related effect on bone mineral density?

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Leuprolide and Nafarelin in the context of endometriosis.

To determine if there is an age-related effect on bone mineral density (BMD) loss with GnRH agonist treatment of endometriosis and, in particular, whether the impact of this therapy in terms of BMD loss is different if it is used at an age prior to attainment of peak BMD than after attaining it.

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as teenagers, adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Leuprolide group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Leuprolide study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Leuprolide, giving a reference point.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Absorptiometry, Photon, Age Factors, Bone Density, Endometriosis, Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone, Leuprolide and Nafarelin.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Leuprolide and Nafarelin in people with endometriosis.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 3 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2002 (The Journal of reproductive medicine), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Leuprolide compound page and the Nafarelin compound page, Endometriosis research.