The Use of an Antihistamine to Reduce Total Menstrual Loss

Fifty subjects participated in a 4-month study of the effects of an antihistamine on the quantity of menstrual flow. During their first 2 periods, subjects took no drugs; during their last 2 periods, subjects were administered an antihistamine or a placebo according to a double-blind format. Subjects took 8 mg chlorpheniramine maleate (Teldrin®) twice daily during the first 3 days of their menstrual periods. Preweighed packages of supplies were given to subjects who returned all package contents. Dry weights were subtracted from wet weights to obtain total menstrual loss in grams. Because monthly fluctuations were expected, weights from periods 1&2 were averaged and compared with weights from periods 3&4. The treated group showed an average decrease of 11.30 grams while the placebo group showed a decrease of 0.98 grams. While the difference was not statistically significant, the variance between the 2 groups was significant (p = 0.0002). A comparison of the decrease/increase pattern between the 2 groups showed that the treatment group lost more and gained less than the placebo group. Members of the treatment group with a decrease in menstrual weight during the last 2 periods averaged a 35% decrease compared to an 18% decrease in the placebo group. Treated subjects with increased menstrual weights during the last 2 periods averaged a 17% gain compared to a 32% gain in the placebo group. These results indicate that chlorpheniramine maleate is effective in reducing menstrual loss in certain individuals, but that the effect is neither uniform nor universal.