A comparative study of monophasic oral contraceptives containing either drospirenone 3 mg or levonorgestrel 150 μg on premenstrual symptoms

This open-label randomized study compared the effects of two combined oral contraceptives (OCs) containing 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP)/30 μg ethinyl estradiol (EE) with 150 μg levonorgestrel (LNG)/30 μg EE on the prevalence and changes from baseline of premenstrual symptoms after six cycles. The symptoms were measured using the Women's Health Assessment Questionnaire. Subjects receiving DRSP/EE had fewer prevalence of premenstrual symptoms than those receiving LNG/EE after six cycles. A significantly lower score of negative affect category in the premenstrual phase was demonstrated in those receiving DRSP/EE more than LNG/EE. The DRSP/EE group showed a greater improvement of mean scores from baseline in the premenstrual phase compared with those who received LNG/EE on negative affect as seen in the items on anxiety, irritability, feeling sad or blue and weight gain in the category of water retention. In conclusion, OCs containing DRSP have beneficial effects in reducing the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms especially the symptoms of negative affect and weight gain, particularly when compared to LNG/EE. Hence, it should be recommended for women who are susceptible to these adverse symptoms.