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Cohort study, 2007

Does the combined oral contraceptive pill improve quality of life for women with PMS?

Yes, the pill improved quality of life for women taking it for menstrual pain and PMS symptoms. Women taking it only for contraception had mixed results.

Moderate study design 110 Japanese women taking combined oral contraceptive pill for the first time

What they did

Prospective study in Japan. 110 women completed quality of life questionnaires before starting the combined oral contraceptive pill and again more than 3 months after.

What they found

Women taking the pill for dysmenorrhea, PMS, and irregular cycles showed improvements in quality of life. Those taking it for contraception only showed overall improvement but worsening in relationships.

What it means for you

The pill can improve quality of life for women with menstrual symptoms, but the benefit depends on why they are taking it. Only women in Japan were studied.

110

Women who completed the study

6

Different groups by reason for taking pill

3 months

Time between questionnaires

About the study

Original title
Impact of use of combined oral contraceptive pill on the quality of life of Japanese women
Authors
Matsumoto Y, Yamabe S, Ideta K et al.
Journal
The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Year
2007
Study design
Cohort study
Participants
110
What was tested
Combined oral contraceptive pill

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