Study, 2015
Does a birth control pill with drospirenone help reduce PMS?
Yes. The birth control pill with drospirenone produced a clear positive effect on PMS, particularly for psychological symptoms like mood changes and anxiety.
What they did
A study of 122 women with moderate to severe PMS. Doctors confirmed the diagnosis by having women track their symptoms in a diary. Women then took a birth control pill containing 3 mg drospirenone and 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol, taking the pill for 24 days with 4 pill-free days in each cycle.
What they found
The birth control pill produced a pronounced positive effect on PMS, particularly for the psychological symptoms.
What it means for you
The drospirenone-containing birth control pill may help reduce psychological symptoms of PMS like mood changes, worry, and depression. The main limits are the study doesn't report specific numbers for how much symptoms improved and doesn't mention whether there was a comparison group of women not taking the pill.
122
women with moderate to severe PMS
3 mg
drospirenone dose
20 µg
ethinyl estradiol dose
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome: the effectiveness of treatment with a drospirenone-containing contraceptive
- Authors
- V. N. Prilepskaya, Antonina Vitalievna Ledina
- Journal
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals)
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 122
- What was tested
- Birth control pill containing 3 mg drospirenone and 20 micrograms ethinyl estradiol
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.21518/2079-701x-2015-9-49-53
Original abstract
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a frequent disorder associated with the menstrual cycle; treatments include a variety of medicinal and non-medicinal methods, primarily due to the absence of a common theory for the development of PMS. The majority of authors see premenstrual syndrome as a heterogeneous condition. Combined hormonal contraception is a pathogenetically substantiated method of PMS treatment. The study involved 122 patients with moderate to severe PMS. The diagnosis was confirmed by a prospective assessment of diaries. Participants received a drug containing 3 mg drospirenone and 20 µg ethinyl estradiol within 24/4 regimen. A pronounced positive effect of COC treatment was largely achieved in respect of psychological symptoms of PMS.
Reproduced under CC-BY-SA.
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