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Resveratrol, placebo comparable for pain management in endometriosis
In women with endometriosis, resveratrol was no more effective than placebo for reducing pain associated with the disease when each was added to a monophasic contraceptive pill regimen, according to findings published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
Ricardo F. Savaris, MD, MSc, PhD, of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and colleagues evaluated women with a laparoscopically verified diagnosis of endometriosis to compare resveratrol (40 mg per day) plus monophasic contraceptive pill (n = 22) with placebo plus monophasic contraceptive pill (n = 22) for 42 days for reduction of pain.
The resveratrol group had significantly reduced pain scores compared with placebo after 7 days of treatment, but no difference was found in pain scores between the two groups after 42 days of treatment.
After 42 days of treatment, plasma levels of carcinoembryonic antigen were reduced in the placebo (P = .01) and resveratrol groups (P = .02). No difference was found for prolactin levels over time or between treatment groups.
The amount of pain medicine used and side effects were comparable between the two groups.
“There are few limitations to this study,” the researchers wrote. “We treated subjects for 42 days. A longer course of treatment might give different results. However, a plateau was reached between 7 and 42 days of treatment, suggesting that longer treatment would be unlikely to change the final outcome.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.