Randomised trial, 1981
Do oral contraceptives help reduce premenstrual symptoms?
Yes. Birth control pills reduced premenstrual tension symptoms in most age groups, except in 18-year-olds where they showed little or no benefit.
What they did
A study comparing 217 women taking oral contraceptives with 595 women not using the pill, examining the prevalence and severity of individual premenstrual symptoms across different ages.
What they found
Oral contraceptives had a beneficial effect on premenstrual tension symptoms in all age groups except 18-year-olds, where the tendency was rather the opposite. Women using oral contraceptives were significantly less frequently absent from work.
What it means for you
Birth control pills may reduce most women's premenstrual symptoms but may not help or may slightly worsen symptoms in younger women aged 18. The study measured prevalence rather than randomly assigning women to pills or no pills, so cause and effect are unclear.
595
women not using oral contraceptives
217
women taking oral contraceptives
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual complaints II. Influence of oral contraceptives
- Authors
- Andersch B, Hahn L
- Journal
- Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1981
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 595
- What was tested
- Oral contraceptives compared to no pill
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/00016348109155490
Topics
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