Oral contraceptives treatment suppresses proliferation and enhances apoptosis of eutopic endometrial tissue from patients with endometriosis

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of administering combination oral contraceptives (COCs) to patients with endometriosis on the regulation of cell growth in the eutopic endometrium. Prospective study. Thirteen women with untreated endometriosis and 13 controls. Biopsy specimens of the eutopic endometrium were obtained from all subjects. Apoptosis, cell proliferation, and Bcl-2 and Bax expression were examined at the epithelial and stromal levels in the eutopic endometrium from patients with endometriosis before and after 30 days of daily exposure to COCs and from controls.