Is estrogen necessary after hysteroscopic incision of the uterine septum?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of estrogen after hysteroscopic incision of the uterine septum.

DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, blinded study.

SETTING: A national referral university hospital.

PATIENTS: Fifty women in whom hysterosalpingography (HSG) showed a fundal defect and had septate uterus confirmed by laparoscopy.

INTERVENTIONS: Preoperative HSG, hysteroscopic incision of the septum, and postoperative HSG. Four patients were omitted from the analysis because the angle of the uterus could not be corrected, as shown by postoperative HSG. Group 1 (23 women) received conjugated estrogen and progesterone postoperatively and group 2 (23 women) received no hormone.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The ratios of the length of the septum to the length of the uterus in the HSGs obtained preoperatively (a/b) and postoperatively (a'/b') were calculated and subtracted from each other (a/b - a'/b'). The means of the subtractions in the two groups were compared. The t test was used for statistical comparison. The results showed no statistically significant difference.

CONCLUSION: Estrogen has no apparent role after hysteroscopic incision of the septum.