Polycystic ovarian syndrome: a follow-up study on fertility and menstrual pattern in 149 patients 15-25 years after ovarian wedge resection

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate fertility and menstrual p attern in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) 15-25 years after o varian wedge resection (OWR). METHODS AND RESULTS: The diagnosis was based on the combination of ovarian pathology and symptoms. The 149 patients, all primarily treated at a university teaching hospital, were studied three ti mes by means of a questionnaire up to 25 years after surgery, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a cumulative rate of spontaneous pregnancies of 76%, increa sing to 88% when induced pregnancies were included, The cumulated live birt h rate was 78%, A bootstrap simulation indicated that 69.5% would develop p ost-operative adhesions, which could impede pregnancy in 13.4%, In the majo rity of the patients a regular menstrual pattern was restored up to 25 year s after OWR, CONCLUSION: The results of OWR in PCOS are favourable to most modern treatments, Laparoscopic electrocautery of the ovaries is the only m ethod equally successful, and, by being less invasive, it has made OWR hist ory in the treatment of PCOS.