---
title: Does adding estrogen and progesterone to a GnRH agonist drug improve PMS treatment?
description: No. Adding estrogen and progesterone actually reduced the benefit of the GnRH agonist alone for severe PMS.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-treatment-of-severe-premenstrual-syndrome-with-goserelin-with-and-without-1999/
---

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- Does adding estrogen and progesterone to a GnRH agonist drug improve PMS treatment?

Randomised trial, 1999

# Does adding estrogen and progesterone to a GnRH agonist drug improve PMS treatment?

No. Adding estrogen and progesterone actually reduced the benefit of the GnRH agonist alone for severe PMS.

 Moderate study design

60 women aged 20-45 with severe PMS

## What they did

Double-blind placebo-controlled study of 60 women aged 20-45 with severe PMS. Three groups received: placebo implant plus placebo, goserelin 3.6 mg implant plus estradiol 2 mg daily with norethisterone 5 mg on days 21-28, or goserelin plus placebo. Treatment lasted 6 months, with PMS scores measured at 2, 4, and 6 months.

## What they found

Goserelin plus placebo significantly improved PMS scores at 2, 4, and 6 months compared to both baseline and placebo plus placebo. Goserelin plus estrogen and progesterone showed less improvement and no significant improvement compared to placebo plus placebo.

## What it means for you

For severe PMS, the GnRH agonist alone works better than when combined with added estrogen and progesterone. Adding these hormones may interfere with treatment. However, this was a small single-center study of specialist clinic patients.

60

women

3.6 mg

goserelin dose

6 months

treatment duration

## About the study

Original title The treatment of severe premenstrual syndrome with goserelin with and without 'add-back' estrogen therapy: a placebo-controlled study Authors Leather AT, Studd JW, Watson NR et al. Journal Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology Year 1999 Study design Randomised trial Participants 60 What was tested Goserelin with or without estrogen and progesterone Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/09513599909167531](https://doi.org/10.1080/09513599909167531)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)

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