Randomised trial, 1986
Does mefenamic acid help premenstrual syndrome symptoms?
Mefenamic acid showed overall improvement compared to placebo. However, it did not clearly help individual symptoms, except for gastrointestinal symptoms.
What they did
30 women with PMS were followed for 5 menstrual cycles. After one untreated baseline cycle, they received either mefenamic acid or placebo on days 11-26 of the next 4 cycles in a randomized, double-blind crossover design, with each woman acting as her own control.
What they found
On subjective assessment, there was significant overall improvement on mefenamic acid compared to placebo. On daily symptom checklists, mefenamic acid was not significantly better than placebo for individual symptoms, except for gastrointestinal symptoms.
What it means for you
Mefenamic acid may provide overall symptom relief, though evidence for specific symptoms is weak. The study was small and conducted in 1986, so findings may need confirmation in larger, more recent research.
30
women studied
5
menstrual cycles
4
treatment cycles
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome in Cape Town. Part II. A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the efficacy of mefenamic acid
- Authors
- Gunston KD
- Journal
- South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Mefenamic acid versus placebo taken on days 11-26 of the menstrual cycle
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3526590/
Topics
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