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Study, 1998

Which hormonal treatments work best for PMS?

Treatments that suppress ovulation generally work well for PMS. Progesterone has not been shown to work better than placebo in well-controlled studies, despite being widely promoted.

Moderate study design Women with PMS (reviewed research on treatments)

What they did

This was a review of published research on hormone treatments for PMS, examining which approaches have been found to be effective.

What they found

Suppressing ovulation is generally effective for treating PMS and related symptoms. Drugs like GnRH agonists and Danazol are probably inferior to estrogen because they cause more unfavorable side effects. Progesterone, despite being promoted for PMS, has not been shown to work better than placebo in most well-controlled studies. The effectiveness of other hormonal approaches is still uncertain.

What it means for you

If you're considering hormone treatment, ovulation-suppressing options may be more reliable than progesterone alone. This review is based on published studies, so the findings are fairly reliable. However, results vary from person to person.

About the study

Original title
Hormonal treatments for premenstrual syndrome
Authors
Kouri EM, Halbreich U
Journal
Drugs of today (Barcelona, Spain : 1998)
Year
1998
Study design
Study
What was tested
Review of various hormonal treatments

Topics