Botox for menstrual pain relief? 💉

Injecting Botox could help reduce pelvic pain and improve the quality of life for women suffering from severe menstrual pain. Moreover, this approach is so effective that it could reduce the need for medications typically prescribed for this health issue, leading to lower overall treatment costs.

This is the conclusion reached by a research team from Aix-Marseille University and Université Laval following a study whose results were recently published in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction.


"About 3% of women suffer from severe menstrual pain. Since they don't respond to the usual painkillers and hormones prescribed for dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), their quality of life is seriously affected," explains Jean Martial Kouame, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in the team of Jason Robert Guertin, a professor at Université Laval's Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the CHU de Québec - Université Laval Research Center.

Women struggling with severe dysmenorrhea consult numerous doctors and other healthcare specialists in hopes of finding relief. Additionally, since the medications they are prescribed are often ineffective, they must constantly switch treatments. "All this results in substantial costs for the healthcare system," notes the postdoctoral fellow. "Moreover, their condition affects their daily functioning and forces them to take frequent absences from work, representing significant indirect costs."

Studies conducted over the past 10 years suggest that Botox could relieve severe dysmenorrhea by preventing the pelvic muscle contractions associated with this pain. The team from Aix-Marseille University and Université Laval sought to confirm these findings and conduct a pharmacoeconomic analysis of this treatment in the French context.

The team collected data from women treated for severe dysmenorrhea at the Women's Health Research Center in Aix-en-Provence. Initially, 120 patients received a treatment plan including painkillers, neuropathic pain medications, hormones, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Later, the 100 women who did not respond to these treatments received a Botox injection. Their doctors also prescribed painkillers to alleviate discomfort from the procedure and dysmenorrhea-related pain. "It takes about a month for Botox to fully take effect on the muscles," explains Jean Martial Kouame.

Women who received Botox injections experienced a significant reduction in menstrual pain, summarizes the postdoctoral fellow. "For some women, the pain disappeared completely, with no relapse for over a year. Their quality of life, including their sex life, improved considerably."

A pharmacoeconomic model developed by the research team compared the costs of conventional treatment versus Botox treatment, assuming booster injections every six months. After one year, Botox treatment could save approximately CAD $1,700 per patient. After 10 years, the savings could exceed CAD $9,750.

Experimental treatment

Currently, Botox injections for severe dysmenorrhea are still considered an experimental treatment in France and are not covered by the public healthcare system. "This could change if the randomized study we are conducting with 300 patients yields conclusive results," argues the postdoctoral researcher. "It could also help gain recognition for this treatment in Quebec. Not only is Botox a promising treatment for women who don't respond to conventional therapies for severe menstrual pain, but it could also lead to substantial societal cost savings."

The other authors of the study published in the Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction are Jason Robert Guertin, Éric Bautrant, Christine Levêque, and Carole Siani.