---
title: Can a birth control pill with drospirenone help PMDD symptoms?
description: Yes. In this study, the drospirenone pill worked better than a placebo (dummy pill) at reducing PMDD symptoms.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/treatment-of-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-with-a-new-drospirenone-containing-2005/
---

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- Can a birth control pill with drospirenone help PMDD symptoms?

Randomised trial, 2005

# Can a birth control pill with drospirenone help PMDD symptoms?

Yes. In this study, the drospirenone pill worked better than a placebo (dummy pill) at reducing PMDD symptoms.

 Moderate study design

64 women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), recruited at multiple centers.

## What they did

64 women with PMDD took either the new pill (drospirenone 3 mg plus ethinyl estradiol 20 mcg, taken 24 days active and 4 days inactive per cycle) or a placebo pill for three menstrual cycles. After a one-cycle break, each woman then switched to the other treatment, so everyone tried both.

## What they found

Symptom scores (measured with the DRSP scale) dropped more on the real pill than on placebo, a difference of -12.47 points (95% CI -18.28 to -6.66, p<.001). Doctors rated 61.7% of women as improved on the real pill, compared with 31.8% on placebo (p=.009).

## What it means for you

This pill, taken in this specific 24-day-on, 4-day-off pattern, appears to ease PMDD symptoms better than placebo. The study was well-designed (double-blind, placebo-controlled, everyone tried both treatments), but it was still fairly small and short, lasting only a few cycles, so longer-term effects aren't shown.

-12.47

Extra symptom score drop vs placebo

61.7%

Improved on real pill

31.8%

Improved on placebo

## About the study

Original title Treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder with a new drospirenone-containing oral contraceptive formulation Authors Pearlstein TB, Bachmann GA, Zacur HA et al. Journal Contraception Year 2005 Study design Randomised trial Participants 64 What was tested Drospirenone 3 mg plus ethinyl estradiol 20 mcg pill, taken 24 active days and 4 inactive days per cycle. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2005.08.021](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2005.08.021)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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