--- title: Is drospirenone-based birth control as effective as desogestrel-based, and which is better tolerated? description: Both prevent pregnancy equally well. The drospirenone-based pill caused less weight gain and reduced PMS symptoms more during treatment. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-comparative-investigation-of-contraceptive-reliability-cycle-control-and-2000/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is drospirenone-based birth control as effective as desogestrel-based, and which is better tolerated? Randomised trial, 2000 # Is drospirenone-based birth control as effective as desogestrel-based, and which is better tolerated? Both prevent pregnancy equally well. The drospirenone-based pill caused less weight gain and reduced PMS symptoms more during treatment. Moderate study design 627 women who completed the study, recruited from 26 European centers ## What they did Randomized trial across 26 European centers. 900 women started one of two birth control pills; 627 completed 26 cycles of treatment plus a 3-month follow-up. Body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, PMS symptoms, and period pain were tracked. ## What they found Both pills prevented pregnancy effectively. There were 6 total pregnancies (3 in each group), none due to contraceptive failure. Women taking drospirenone had lower body weight than baseline and gained significantly less weight than the desogestrel group. PMS symptoms decreased with drospirenone during treatment. Period pain rates were the same but severity was less with drospirenone. ## What it means for you This is a large study, but women and doctors knew which pill each woman was taking, which can bias results. The findings apply only to these two specific pills. Additional studies are needed to compare drospirenone with other birth control methods. 627 women completed 26 cycles treatment duration 6 total pregnancies ## About the study Original title A comparative investigation of contraceptive reliability, cycle control and tolerance of two monophasic oral contraceptives containing either drospirenone or desogestrel Authors Foidart JM, Wuttke W, Bouw GM et al. Journal The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care : the official journal of the European Society of Contraception Year 2000 Study design Randomised trial Participants 900 What was tested Drospirenone-containing birth control pill versus desogestrel-containing pill; both combined with ethinylestradiol Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/13625180008500387](https://doi.org/10.1080/13625180008500387) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/) 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. ## Related studies Review, 2011 What health benefits do birth control pills have? Review, 2002 Does the new oral contraceptive Yasmin improve premenstrual symptoms and well-being? Review, 2001 What health benefits does the oral contraceptive pill provide? Survey study, 1988 Do women with PMS have higher rates of postpartum depression and birth control side effects? Case report, 1981 How do hormonal birth control and progesterone affect mood? Randomised trial, 2024 Does estetrol/drospirenone birth control improve PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗