Study, 1982
Do different birth control pills have different effects on premenstrual symptoms?
Yes, women taking birth control pills containing the progestogen lynestrenol had significantly more premenstrual depression and belly swelling than women taking pills containing norgestrel.
What they did
Researchers examined the influence of different oral contraceptives on premenstrual complaints in 191 randomly selected women from an urban population. They compared the rates of premenstrual symptoms across women taking different hormonal combinations.
What they found
Premenstrual depression and abdominal swelling were significantly more common in women taking oral contraceptives containing lynestrenol compared to those taking norgestrel. A shortage of pyridoxine (vitamin B6), which affects how the body processes tryptophan, might explain why depression is more common with lynestrenol.
What it means for you
The type of progestogen in birth control pills may affect how severe your premenstrual symptoms are. Pills with lynestrenol may cause more depression and bloating than pills with norgestrel. However, the authors note that the hormone system is very complicated and they cannot make definite conclusions about the exact reasons for this difference.
191
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- The effect of various oral contraceptive combinations on premenstrual symptoms
- Authors
- Andersch B
- Journal
- International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
- Year
- 1982
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 191
- What was tested
- Different types of oral contraceptive pills
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0020-7292(82)90007-8
Topics
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