Homeopathy for the treatment of menstrual irregularities: a case series

ObjectiveA preliminary study to evaluate the usefulness of homeopathic treatment in the care of menstrual irregularities.MethodPatients were diagnosed at the first appointment according to menstrual cycle over the past year: Amenorrhea (AM), Oligo-amenorrhea (OL-AM), OL, Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). All patients were prescribed an individualised, global homeopathic treatment. The main outcomes were: time to resumption of periods, change of clinical diagnosis at the end of follow-up or after 2 years. The secondary outcomes were: menstrual regularity at the end of follow-up, compared to pre-treatment frequency; flow characteristics; clinical course of acute and chronic concomitant symptoms.Results18 consecutive cases of secondary amenorrhea (SA) and oligomenorrhea (OL) met the entry criteria. 8 women had SA, 2 were on HRT, 6 had OL-AM and 2 had OL. The average duration of considered follow-up was 21 months. The average time before the reappearance of menstruation was 58 days (s.d. 20) in the 8 women with SA at the time of the first appointment, for all cases 46 days (s.d. 42). Change of clinical diagnosis: 50% of women, who were diagnosed AM, recovered their ovulatory cycle (OV), whereas 12.5% remained amenorrheic; 33.3% of patients, who were initially OL-AM, showed an OV; 100% of oligomenorrheic and HRT patients recovered an OV. The average frequency of spontaneous cycles per year changes from 4.32 (s.d. 1.97) pre-treatment to 9.6 cycles per year at the end (s.d. 2.92). Four detailed case histories are reported.