Randomised trial, 1995
Does danazol help severe PMS?
Yes, danazol significantly reduced severe PMS symptoms compared to placebo, with 43.8 percent of women becoming symptom-free versus 8.3 percent on placebo.
What they did
Twenty-eight women with severe PMS completed a randomized, double-blind crossover study. They received either danazol 200 mg twice daily or placebo for three consecutive cycles, then switched to the other treatment.
What they found
Symptom scores dropped by an average of 14.0 points on danazol compared to 3.6 points on placebo. Seven of 16 women on danazol (43.8%) reached symptom-free status compared to one of 12 women on placebo (8.3%).
What it means for you
Danazol is significantly more effective than placebo for severe PMS, with nearly half of women becoming symptom-free. The study was small and the crossover design had some technical complications affecting the analysis.
28
women completed
200 mg
danazol dose twice daily
43.8%
became symptom-free on danazol
About the study
- Original title
- A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of danazol for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Hahn PM, Van Vugt DA, Reid RL
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 1995
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 28
- What was tested
- Danazol 200 mg twice daily for three cycles versus placebo
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0306-4530(94)00053-d
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