Low dose of 'abortion pill' shrinks fibroids

As a treatment for uterine fibroids, a 5-milligram daily dose of the so-called abortion pill mifepristone is as effective as a 10-milligram daily dose at shrinking fibroids and alleviating symptoms, and may carry a lower risk of endometrial hyperplasia - an abnormal thickening of the lining of the uterus that can lead to cancer.

In a study, researchers found that treatment with the lower dose of mifepristone, also known as RU-486, reduced fibroid volume by 57 percent at three months, which is actually higher, although not significantly, than the 45 percent reduction seen with the higher dose.

Endometrial hyperplasia was noted in one woman treated with the higher dose, but in none given the lower dose.

Uterine fibroids can cause excessive menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and frequent urination. The benign growths occur in about 25 percent of all women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, in the US.

The current investigation, conducted by Dr. Esteve and colleagues, involved 100 women who were randomised to receive 5mg or 10mg of mifepristone daily for 90 days.

Both doses of mifepristone provided significant and comparable reductions in fibroid size and improvements in fibroid-related symptoms, Dr. Josep Lluis Carbonell Esteve, from Clinica Mediterrania Medica in Valencia, Spain, and colleagues report in the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Roughly 90 percent of women in each group no longer experienced menstrual bleeding following treatment, they say. Hot flashes and nausea were more common with the 10mg dose, but otherwise no differences in side effects were noted between the groups.


Source : Babynet