--- title: Do extended-cycle birth control pills reduce PMS symptoms compared to regular pills? description: Yes. Switching from regular birth control pills (21 days on, 7 days off) to extended-cycle pills (minimal pill-free time) significantly reduced PMS symptoms, url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/unintended-pregnancy-and-use-of-emergency-contraception-among-a-large-cohort-of-2007/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do extended-cycle birth control pills reduce PMS symptoms compared to regular pills? Randomised trial, 2007 # Do extended-cycle birth control pills reduce PMS symptoms compared to regular pills? Yes. Switching from regular birth control pills (21 days on, 7 days off) to extended-cycle pills (minimal pill-free time) significantly reduced PMS symptoms, especially in women with more symptoms to start with. Moderate study design 114 women using birth control pills (111 completed the standard regimen, 102 completed the extended regimen) ## What they did 114 women took regular birth control pills (21 days on, 7 days off) for two cycles. Their PMS symptoms were measured using three different questionnaires. They then switched to an extended-cycle pill containing drospirenone and ethinylestradiol, taken for 168 days (about 6 months), and symptoms were tracked again. ## What they found PMS symptoms peaked during the pill-free week in the regular regimen. When women switched to the extended-cycle pill, PMS symptoms significantly decreased, especially during the last 2 months. Of 111 women who completed the regular regimen, 102 (92%) completed the extended regimen. Switching to drospirenone also showed improvement. ## What it means for you Extended-cycle pills appear to help PMS symptoms better than regular pills, possibly because they reduce the number of pill-free weeks. The main limits are that this was not a randomized controlled trial, women weren't compared to placebo, and women had started on different pills. Improvement was most noticeable in women with more baseline symptoms. 111 Women completing standard 21/7 regimen 102 Women completing extended 168-day regimen 3 mg Drospirenone dose in extended pill ## About the study Original title Unintended pregnancy and use of emergency contraception among a large cohort of women attending for antenatal care or abortion in Scotland Authors Eva Jungmann Journal Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care Year 2007 Study design Randomised trial Participants 111 What was tested Switching from 21/7 birth control regimen to 168-day extended drospirenone/ethinylestradiol regimen Read the paper [doi.org/10.1783/147118907780254213](https://doi.org/10.1783/147118907780254213) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/) 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 Systematic review, 2023 What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy? Review, 2020 Does progesterone help or harm women's mood? Review, 2019 How does the menstrual cycle affect migraine in women? Cohort study, 2018 Can the premenstrual feelings women get tell us whether ovulation actually occurred? Randomised trial, 2017 Does Sepranolone reduce symptoms of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD)? Survey study, 2013 Do past PMS symptoms predict how severe your menopause symptoms will be? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗