Antioxidant supplementation is beneficial to reduce endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain in women

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Created On: 24/02/2022

This prospective randomized controlled study was carried out to determine the influence of antioxidant supplementation in the form of vitamins C and E in women suffering from endometriosis-elicited chronic pelvic pain.

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Key take away

In women experiencing chronic pelvic pain due to endometriosis, antioxidant therapy vitamin E and vitamin C may have activity in reducing or restricting inflammatory markers like interleukin 1 and interleukin 6 and monocyte-chemotactic protein-1 that may account for the release of pain-inducing molecules.

Background

Method

The study included 100 endometriosis cases. Participants were randomized into two groups: 50 volunteers were given a combination of 1200 mg/day vitamin E and 1000 mg/day vitamin C for 6-8 weeks and 50 people were given placebo pills, daily for six-eight weeks.

Result

Following the treatment trial, among the 50 people on antioxidant supplementation, 20 people (40 %) had experienced a decrease in menstrual cycle linked pelvic pain, “dysmenorrhea” compared to 9 out of 50 people (18%) in the placebo arm. Regarding dyspareunia, the findings of the current work demonstrated that following antioxidant therapy, pain with intercourse reduced in 16 females (32%) compared to 4 people who only improved in the placebo arm.

Regarding dyschesia at both baseline and following therapy, the findings revealed that following antioxidant therapy, dyschesia severity dropped in 16 females (32%). But, in the placebo arm, dyschesia improved only in two people. Regarding non-menstrual pelvic pain, 21 people (42%) had no alteration in “non-menstrual pelvic pain”, 24 people reported a drop in non-menstrual pelvic pain and only 5 cases in the placebo group reported improvement in the severity of non-menstrual pelvic pain.

Conclusion

For mitigation of chronic pelvic pain in females having endometriosis, natural antioxidants such as vitamin E and C at low dosages are highly efficient substitute therapy.