Two studies are presented which investigated the relationship between oral contraceptives (o.c.s) and premenstrual changes in mood and physical state. The retrospective pilot study examined possible differences in symptom-reporting between groups of pill-users and non-users. Women using o.c.s had lower severity scores on a number of physical and mood-related symptoms compared to non-users. In the prospective study, eighty-two women with complaints of moderate to severe premenstrual symptoms were recruited for a double-blind, controlled trial of a triphasic o.c. Subjects made daily ratings of symptoms for one to two baseline cycles and were then randomly assigned to receive either placebo or the o.c. for three treatment cycles. Prospective assessment of symptoms was made using a variety of measures, and circulating levels of estrogen and progesterone were measured at three points during the cycle. Bloating and breast pain showed a greater reduction in the o.c. group than in the placebo group. In a subgroup of women with premenstrual depressive change, the o.c. also produced greater improvement in a number of symptoms compared to placebo. For all other symptoms, there was no beneficial effect of the active treatment over placebo. Women who received o.c.s reported decreased sexual interest after starting the pill. Possible hormonal mechanisms for these effects are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.74262 |
| Date | January 1989 |
| Creators | Graham, Cynthia Anne |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Psychology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001072155, proquestno: AAINN63420, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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