After 3 months, low dose oral contraceptives reduced pain in adolescent girls with moderate to severe dysmenorrhoea
Q What is the efficacy of low dose oral contraceptives (OCs) for primary dysmenorrhoea in adolescent girls?
METHODS
Design:
randomised placebo controlled trial.
Allocation:
unclear concealment.
Blinding:
blinded (patients and healthcare providers).
Follow up period:
3 months.
Setting:
a single academic medical centre in New York, USA.
Patients:
76 healthy adolescent girls ⩽19 years of age (mean age 17 y) who had dysmenorrhoea that was classified using the Robinson modification of the Andersch scale as moderate (sometimes or always experiencing very painful menstrual cramps) or severe (sometimes or always cutting back on activities in addition to experiencing painful menstrual cramps); regular menstrual cycles for ⩾1 year; menstrual cycle length of 21–35 days; and were abstinent or used condoms. Exclusion criteria were need for contraception, previous term pregnancy or current pregnancy, recent abortion or miscarriage followed by <3 menstrual cycles, history of pelvic pathology, …
