Key clinical point: Overall, oral contraceptives were more effective than placebo for treating symptoms of PMS and PMDD, but none of the combined oral contraceptives stood out as more effective than the others, and oral contraceptives had no apparent impact on premenstrual depressive symptoms.
Major finding: In a pairwise meta-analysis, combined oral contraceptives showed no effectiveness compared to placebo for reducing premenstrual depressive symptoms, with a standardized mean difference of 0.22. However, combined oral contraceptive use overall was moderately effective compared to placebo for improving premenstrual symptomatology overall (standardized mean difference 0.41).
Study details: The data come from a meta-analysis of nine randomized clinical trials including 1,205 women aged approximately 24-37 years who reported premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Disclosures: The study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Source: De Wit AE et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Jul 2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.06.090.