--- title: Does drospirenone birth control help PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Drospirenone birth control may modestly improve PMS symptoms and reduce problems with work and relationships, but the evidence is weak and it may cause more s url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/oral-contraceptives-containing-drospirenone-for-premenstrual-syndrome-2023/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does drospirenone birth control help PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2023 # Does drospirenone birth control help PMS symptoms? Drospirenone birth control may modestly improve PMS symptoms and reduce problems with work and relationships, but the evidence is weak and it may cause more side effects leading women to stop taking it. Moderate study design 858 women with PMS or severe PMS (PMDD) across 5 trials ## What they did This was a systematic review that combined results from 5 randomized controlled trials involving 858 women with PMS or severe PMS (PMDD). The trials compared birth control pills containing drospirenone and low-dose estrogen with placebo pills. ## What they found Drospirenone pills may improve overall PMS symptoms (SMD -0.41), and reduce functional impairment in productivity (MD -0.31), social activities (MD -0.29), and relationships (MD -0.30) compared to placebo. Women taking drospirenone were 3.41 times more likely to stop taking the pills due to side effects. ## What it means for you Drospirenone birth control might help PMS, but the improvement is small and comes with higher risk of side effects. The overall evidence quality is weak due to poor study reporting and inconsistency across trials. This summarizes available evidence but is not a recommendation. 858 Women studied across 5 trials SMD -0.41 Overall effect on PMS symptoms vs placebo OR 3.41 Increased likelihood of side effect withdrawal ## About the study Original title Oral contraceptives containing drospirenone for premenstrual syndrome Authors Ma S, Song SJ Journal The Cochrane database of systematic reviews Year 2023 Study design Randomised trial Participants 776 What was tested Oral contraceptives containing drospirenone and low-dose estrogen Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd006586.pub5](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd006586.pub5) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2025 Do women with PMS or PMDD report lower quality of life than women without these conditions? Randomised trial, 2011 Does a 24/4 birth control pill help women with PMDD improve work, relationship, and social functioning? Review, 2009 What causes PMDD and what are the treatment options? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Study, 2026 What treatments work for PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗