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Elimination of ovulation and menstrual cyclicity (with danazol) improves dysphoric premenstrual syndromes
U Halbreich1, N Rojansky, S Palter
1Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York at Buffalo 14215.
Objective:
To assess whether the therapeutic effect of danazol on premenstrual syndromes (PMS) is associated with suppression of ovulation.
Design:
After 1 month on placebo, we administered 200 mg/d of danazol for 90 days to 24 women with dysphoric PMS. Symptoms during ovulatory cycles were compared with anovulatory periods.
Setting:
Outpatient PMS program in a general hospital.
Patients:
Twenty-four women who had dysphoric PMS and otherwise were physically and mentally healthy.
Interventions:
None (except the oral medication).
Main Outcome Measure:
Prospective daily monitoring of symptoms with the Daily Rating Form, before, during, and after treatment.
Results:
Twenty of 23 anovulatory periods were symptom-free versus 6 of 32 ovulatory periods (chi 2 = 15.63, P = 0.0002).
Conclusion:
The beneficial effect of danazol as treatment depends mostly on achieving an an-ovulatory state and elimination of hormonal cyclicity and not on the drug per se.