Interventions commonly available during pandemics for heavy menstrual bleeding
Citation: Bofill Rodriguez M, Lethaby A, Farquhar C, et al. Interventions commonly available during pandemics for heavy menstrual bleeding: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;(7):CD013651.
What is this? The COVID-19 pandemic is placing a strain on healthcare services. Existing research on interventions for heavy menstrual bleeding that are available during pandemics might provide helpful information for policy makers.
In this Cochrane overview of Cochrane Reviews, the authors searched for reviews evaluating interventions that can continue during pandemics for women with heavy menstrual bleeding, which had been published by June 2020. They included 4 Cochrane Reviews, with 11 comparisons, that had used data from 44 randomised trials (3196 women). They assessed all the reviews to be high quality.
What works: NSAIDs may be more effective in reducing heavy menstrual bleeding than placebo.
Antifibrinolytics appear to be more effective in reducing heavy menstrual bleeding than placebo.
Antifibrinolytics may be more effective in reducing heavy menstrual bleeding than short‐cycle progestogen.
Combined hormonal contraceptives appear to be more effective for heavy menstrual bleeding than placebo or no treatment.
Mefenamic acid may be similar to naproxen, and NSAIDs may be similar to combined hormonal contraceptives for heavy menstrual bleeding.
What doesn’t work: NSAIDs may be less effective in reducing menstrual bleeding than antifibrinolytics.
What’s uncertain: The relative effects for reducing menstrual blood loss of NSAIDs and short‐cycle progestogens are uncertain.
The relative effects on reducing heavy menstrual bleeding of antifibrinolytics and long‐cycle progestogen are uncertain.
The relative effects on reducing heavy menstrual bleeding of antifibrinolytics and combined hormonal contraceptives are uncertain because of a lack of randomised trials.
The effects on reducing heavy menstrual bleeding of progestogens compared to placebo are uncertain because of a lack of randomised trials.