{
    "abstract": "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.\nThis 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.\nAmong 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.",
    "authors": [
        {
            "affiliation": "NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, NSW Australia; IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Australia.",
            "firstname": "Amelia K",
            "initials": "AK",
            "lastname": "Mardon"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, UK.",
            "firstname": "Lucy",
            "initials": "L",
            "lastname": "Whitaker"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University NSW, Australia.",
            "firstname": "Toobah",
            "initials": "T",
            "lastname": "Farooqi"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.",
            "firstname": "Jane",
            "initials": "J",
            "lastname": "Girling"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Department of Surgery & Anaesthesia, University of Otago Wellington Aotearoa, New Zealand.",
            "firstname": "Claire",
            "initials": "C",
            "lastname": "Henry"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia.",
            "firstname": "Carolyn",
            "initials": "C",
            "lastname": "Ee"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, New Zealand.",
            "firstname": "Jordan",
            "initials": "J",
            "lastname": "Tewhaiti-Smith"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Reproductive Health, NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia.",
            "firstname": "Mike",
            "initials": "M",
            "lastname": "Armour"
        }
    ],
    "conclusions": null,
    "copyrights": null,
    "doi": "10.1080/13543784.2024.2326627",
    "journal": "Expert opinion on investigational drugs",
    "keywords": [
        "Anti-inflammatories",
        "dysmenorrhea",
        "endometriosis",
        "hormonal therapy",
        "medical therapy"
    ],
    "methods": null,
    "publication_date": "2024-03-04",
    "pubmed_id": "38436301",
    "results": null,
    "title": "Investigational drugs for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.",
    "xml": "<Element 'PubmedArticle' at 0x788502e0d1c0>"
}