Recent research has suggested that two experimental drugs could ease excessive menstrual pain in women by suppressing the menstrual cycle. If clinical trials are successful, these drugs could offer an alternative for women who cannot tolerate the contraceptive pill and for those who suffer from painful and excessive blood loss during menstrual cycles.
This research was carried out at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Centre, USA. Two relatively new antiprogestins were studied that block progesterone action directly on the endometrium, which is the inner lining of the uterus, which undergoes marked change during the menstrual cycle. These drugs suppress menstruation and ovulation and block the effects of the female hormone oestrogen on the lining of the womb, have been successfully tested on rhesus monkeys. Monkeys have reproductive cycles just like humans and these drugs are expected to have similar results in humans. All of the monkeys treated with the drugs remained healthy and resumed their menstrual periods within 15 to 41 days after the treatment was stopped.
The drugs could improve the quality of life for many women and are also unlikely to cause hot flushes or loss of bone density, according to the researchers. These new menstrual suppressants are novel in that they use very low doses of antiprogestins administered for as long as a woman desires to suppress menstruation and once the treatment is stopped, normal cycles begin again in a short time. These new drugs may usher in a new era in female contraception.
Human Reproduction; Aug 2001, vol 16 : (8)
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