Researchers report labor-suppressing drugs may reduce endometriosis pain in women
Dutch gynecologists are testing a new approach to managing endometriosis pain, using labor-suppressing medications typically reserved for preventing premature birth, NOS reports. Early results are described as promising, though doctors stress broader studies are needed.
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. This can cause adhesions, fluid buildup, and severe pain, including heavy menstrual bleeding, discomfort during urination, bowel movements, or intercourse, and in serious cases, infertility. About 400,000 women in the Netherlands are estimated to have some form of the condition.
Chantal Spaan, 37, stopped working as a child care provider because of the intensity of the pain. She has suffered from severe menstrual pain since age 13. “I was prescribed the pill; that helped but only temporarily,” she told NOS. Nowadays, she experiences pain around the clock across her upper legs, back, pelvic floor, and shoulders.
The treatment involves receiving an intravenous dose of labor-suppressing medication on the worst day of menstruation. Spaan kept a pain diary for a month before and after the treatment. “It was much more tolerable and less painful. Sometimes it even disappeared. I was also less dizzy and nauseous,” she told the newspaper.
Spaan hopes the treatment will continue. “It helped me a lot, so I’m disappointed I can’t use it anymore. I would be fine with being hospitalized for one day each month for this infusion if it meant the rest of the month I could live normally,” she said.
Moniek van der Zanden, a gynecologist at the Endometriosis Center of Haaglanden Medical Center, noted additional limitations. “Given the small number of participants, the absence of a control group, and the difficulty of administering the medication intravenously, several further steps are needed before this can be implemented in practice.”
The Dutch Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (NVOG) offered cautious support. “This pilot study certainly provides a foundation for further research. The patient number will need to be large enough to reliably determine an effect.”
