Trial reportDepression and anxiety2017
Treatment of premenstrual dysphoria with continuous versus intermittent dosing of oral contraceptives: Results of a three-arm randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Depression and anxiety, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing the impact of contraceptive use on mental health among women of reproductive age - a systematic review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- A scoping review of hormonal clinical trials in menstrual cycle-related brain disorders: Studies in premenstrual mood disorder, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2023Pooled it
- New Pharmacological Approaches to the Management of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.CNS drugs · 2023Trial
- Practical tools for female-specific ADHD: The impact of hormonal fluctuations in clinical practice and from the literature.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Review
- Hormonal Contraceptive Use and Affective Disorders: An Updated Review.Open access journal of contraception · 2025Review
- Mental Health Across the Menstrual Cycle in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Insights and Implications.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
- GABA-ergic Modulators: New Therapeutic Approaches to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.CNS drugs · 2023Review
- Oral contraceptives containing drospirenone for premenstrual syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Review
- Management of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: A Scoping Review.International journal of women's health · 2022Article
- Pilot Data on the Feasibility And Clinical Outcomes of a Nomegestrol Acetate Oral Contraceptive Pill in Women With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2021Article
- Progesterone, reproduction, and psychiatric illness.Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology · 2020Review
- Evidence-Based Treatment of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: A Concise Review.The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2020Review
- Hormonal Contraceptives and Mood: Review of the Literature and Implications for Future Research.Current psychiatry reports · 2019Review
- Perimenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in borderline personality disorder: evidence from multilevel models and the Carolina Premenstrual Assessment Scoring System.Psychological medicine · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlthough traditionally dosed combined oral contraceptives (COCs) (21 days of active pills, 7 days of inactive pills) have not been demonstrated as superior to placebo for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoria (PMD), some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicate that oral contraceptives administered with a shortened or eliminated hormone-free interval are superior to placebo. However, results of such trials are mixed, and no existing studies have directly compared continuous and intermittent dosing schedules of the same oral contraceptive. The present study compared placebo, intermittent dosing of oral contraceptives, and continuous dosing of contraceptives for the treatment of PMD.
methodsFifty-five women with prospectively confirmed PMD completed a three-arm, RCT in which they were randomized to 3 months of placebo (n = 22), intermittent drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol dosed on a 21-7 schedule (n = 17), or continuous drospirenone/estradiol (n = 16) following a baseline assessment month.
resultsAll three groups demonstrated similar, robust reductions in premenstrual symptoms over time. A marked placebo response was observed.
conclusionsThe study fails to replicate a uniquely beneficial effect of continuous COC on PMD. Additional work is needed to understand the psychosocial context bolstering the placebo response in women with PMD.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.