Survey study, 2009
Can long-cycle birth control pills reduce PMS and menstrual symptoms?
Long-cycle birth control pills may reduce PMS and related symptoms by lowering hormonal fluctuations. This is based on clinical opinion rather than a controlled trial.
What they did
Review of long-cycle oral contraceptive use, discussing women's preferences and stated benefits of this approach.
What they found
Long-cycle pills reduce hormonal fluctuations caused by the pill-free interval, which can improve somatic and mental symptoms. Listed indications include PMS, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, migraine related to estrogen deficiency, and other conditions.
What it means for you
If you take the pill and have PMS or related symptoms, skipping pill-free intervals (long-cycle use) might help by keeping hormone levels more stable. The main limit is that this is clinical opinion, not research data from a controlled study.
About the study
- Original title
- [Long-cycle treatment in oral contraception]
- Authors
- Kuhl H, Birkhäuser M, Mueck A et al.
- Journal
- Therapeutische Umschau. Revue therapeutique
- Year
- 2009
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- Long-cycle oral contraception
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1024/0040-5930.66.2.101
Topics
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