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Related Experiment Videos

Menstrual cycle length during methadone maintenance.

John Schmittner1, Jennifer R Schroeder, David H Epstein

  • 1Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. jschmitt@intra.nida.nih.gov

Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|May 28, 2005
PubMed
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Methadone maintenance treatment may help normalize menstrual cycles in women with a history of opioid use. While menstrual irregularities can persist, menses resumption is possible, suggesting methadone is less disruptive than illicit heroin.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Menstrual disruption is a known consequence of heroin use.
  • Limited data exist on the impact of methadone maintenance on menstrual function.
  • Understanding these effects is crucial for comprehensive care of women with opioid use disorder.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the regularity of menstrual cycles in women undergoing methadone maintenance treatment.
  • To determine if methadone maintenance influences menstrual cycle length and patterns.
  • To compare the effects of methadone maintenance with those of illicit heroin abuse on menstrual function.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 191 women using heroin and cocaine, treated with methadone (70-100 mg daily) for 25-29 weeks.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Menstrual cycle start and end dates were recorded to classify patterns (regular, irregular, amenorrhea, cycle restart).
  • Regression modeling analyzed correlates of cycle length, including BMI, drug use, methadone dose, and race.

    • Main Results:

    • Among 133 women with determinable patterns, menstrual irregularity was common (46.7% irregular, 27.8% regular).
    • Each additional week of methadone maintenance was associated with a reduced risk of long (>40 days) and short (<20 days) cycles.
    • 59% of women with prior secondary amenorrhea resumed menses during treatment; drug use was not significantly linked to cycle length abnormalities.

    Conclusions:

    • Methadone maintenance treatment appears to contribute to the normalization of menstrual cycle length.
    • Resumption of menstruation is possible for women in treatment.
    • Methadone maintenance may be associated with less menstrual disruption compared to illicit heroin abuse.