Randomised trial, 1986
Do progesterone vaginal suppositories help premenstrual syndrome?
No. The response to progesterone vaginal suppositories was at best marginal and not significantly different from placebo.
What they did
Women with severe premenstrual syndrome were enrolled in an 8-month double-blind placebo-controlled trial. After a control month, they used 200 mg progesterone suppositories or placebo twice daily for at least 12 days before menstruation for 3 months, then switched treatments for 3 months, with a final control month. Although the dropout rate was high, 20 women completed the trial.
What they found
The response to vaginal progesterone in these dosages was at best marginal and not significantly different from response with placebo.
What it means for you
Progesterone vaginal suppositories at 200 mg do not appear to be an effective treatment for severe PMS. The study was rigorous in design but had a high dropout rate and only 20 women completed it, which limits how much we can trust the results.
20
Women who completed trial
200 mg
Progesterone per suppository
3 months
Treatment period per arm
About the study
- Original title
- A double-blind placebo-controlled trial of progesterone vaginal suppositories in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Maddocks S, Hahn P, Moller F et al.
- Journal
- American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 20
- What was tested
- 200 mg progesterone suppositories twice daily or placebo for at least 12 days before menstruation, 3 months per treatment with crossover
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(86)90604-6
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