Investigational drugs for the treatment of dysmenorrhea

Amelia K Mardon; Lucy Whitaker; Toobah Farooqi; Jane E. Girling; Jane Girling; Claire Henry; Carolyn Ee; Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith; Mike Armour

doi:10.1080/13543784.2024.2326627

Investigational drugs for the treatment of dysmenorrhea

Amelia K Mardon, Lucy Whitaker, Toobah Farooqi, Jane E. Girling, Jane Girling, Claire Henry, Carolyn Ee, Jordan Tewhaiti-Smith, Mike Armour

Expert opinion on investigational drugs · 2024 · vol. 33(4) , pp. 347–357 · doi:10.1080/13543784.2024.2326627 · PMID:38436301 · W4392375484

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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review details investigational drugs for dysmenorrhea, highlighting anti-inflammatories as promising but noting the need for more robust trials due to methodological limitations in current studies.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Dysmenorrhea is the most common cause of gynecological pain among women that has considerable impact on quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and hormonal therapies are most commonly used to treat dysmenorrhea. However, given these drugs are often associated with bothersome side effects and are less effective when there is an underlying cause contributing to dysmenorrhea (e.g. endometriosis), a patient-centered approach to managing dysmenorrhea is important. Various new drugs are currently being investigated for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. AREAS COVERED: This review provides an updated overview on new therapeutic targets and investigational drugs for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. The authors describe the clinical development and implications of these drugs. EXPERT OPINION: Among the investigative drugs discussed in this review, anti-inflammatories show the most promising results for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. However, given some trials have considerable methodological limitations, many drugs cannot be currently recommended. Research focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in menstruation and its associated symptoms will be important to identify new therapeutic targets for dysmenorrhea. Further robust clinical trials are required to better understand the efficacy and safety of investigational drugs for treating primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004412mesh:D004715endometriosisdysmenorrhea

MeSH descriptors

Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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Source provenance

europepmc: last seen: 2026-06-04T01:30:01.192114+00:00
openalex: last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
pubmed: last seen: 2026-05-27T00:32:57.245422+00:00

License: CC0 · commercial use OK

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[2] “A day-to-day struggle”: A comparative qualitative study on experiences of women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain via openalex

[3] Cannabidiol for the Management of Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain via openalex

[4] Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women via openalex

[5] Combination GnRH antagonists for endometriosis: Balancing efficacy with side effects via openalex

[6] Combination therapy with telmisartan and parecoxib induces regression of endometriotic lesions via openalex

[7] Disease-modifying effects of natural Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in endometriosis-associated pain via openalex

[8] Dysmenorrhea in Adolescents via openalex

[9] Dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults: an update on pharmacological treatments and management strategies via openalex

[10] Dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults: from pathophysiology to pharmacological treatments and management strategies via openalex

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[13] Efficacy and safety of oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists in moderate-to-severe endometriosis-associated pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis via openalex

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[15] Endometriosis via openalex

[16] Endometriosis via openalex

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[21] Increased concentrations of eicosanoids and platelet-activating factor in menstrual blood from women with primary dysmenorrhea. via openalex

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