title: Fertility outcome after conservative surgery for borderline ovarian tumors: a single center experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims to document the experience of a single center on the reproductive outcome of a cohort of women who were treated with conservative surgery for borderline ovarian tumors and to specify whether their fertility potential is associated with age, tumor histology and surgery type.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 55 women who had undergone conservative surgery for borderline ovarian tumors between January 1999 and January 2009 were eligible. Recurrence rate, fertility outcome and the number of pregnancies were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the study group, 11 women were not sexually active both at the time of surgery and during the follow-up period. Thus, a total of 44 patients attempted pregnancy after conservative surgery and 52.3% of them (23 out of 44) were able to conceive either spontaneously or by in vitro fertilization. The ability to conceive was shown to be associated with age, tumor histology and type of conservative surgery. As expected, the fertility potential correlated positively with decreasing age (correlation coefficient = 0.705, p = 0.001). Moreover, the existence of non-serous histology and the implementation of unilateral cystectomy were found to be associated with the ability to reach a clinical pregnancy (correlation coefficient = 0.585, p = 0.001 and correlation coefficient = 0.587, p = 0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The primary treatment of borderline ovarian tumors refers to conservative surgery. Younger age, non-serous histology and unilateral cystectomy appear to be associated with favorable reproductive outcome in women who undergo conservative surgery for borderline malignancy of ovary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women Health Research and Education Hospital, Yunus Emre Mah., Dereboyu Sok. No: 71/2 Yenimahalle, 06170 Ankara, Turkey. minekanat@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanat-Pektas
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozat
authors.forename: Tayfun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gungor
authors.forename: Türkan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dikici
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mollamahmutoglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult